BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu on July 25 slammed the AAP government in Punjab over the police action against sanitation workers on strike in Barnala for increased salaries and regular job contracts. Speaking to reporters in Barnala, Bittu claimed that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann failed to handle the issue.
“The situation of sanitation workers in Barnala, Punjab is very serious. The Punjab government, including Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, has failed to handle the issue. The way sanitation workers, members of the Valmiki community, were beaten is unfortunate,” the BJP leader said.
In a significant administrative action on Friday, in connection with the alleged use of force against protesting sanitation workers in Barnala, the Punjab government suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Satbir Singh Bains, as per the release. The move comes after National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) Vice Chairperson Hardeep Singh Gill took suo motu cognisance of the incident and directed the Punjab Government to submit a factual report within seven days.
In his communication to the Punjab Chief Secretary, Hardeep Singh Gill noted that media reports had raised serious allegations of police action against sanitation workers protesting in Barnala. He emphasised that safeguarding the rights, dignity and security of Safai Karamcharis is a constitutional responsibility of the government and that any alleged violation of their rights must be examined with utmost seriousness.
Meanwhile, Ravneet Singh Bittu on Friday resigned as Union Minister of State for Railways after his Rajya Sabha tenure ended on June 21. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from August 2024 to June 2026 from Rajasthan. On July 25, in the pharmacy exam cheating case, Bittu demanded the immediate resignation of Minister Harjot Bains for this oppression. The Central Government is fully committed to protecting the rights of these workers, he said.
The resignation comes as the BJP gears up for the Punjab Legislative Assembly 2027. Ravneet Bittu is the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister and Congress leader Beant Singh. Congress leader Anil Joshi said, “Their downfall has begun. Bittu and the others who joined the BJP are not happy. Bittu should have refrained from speaking too much”.
