Punjab Politics News: Tension gripped Punjab’s Bathinda district on Sunday afternoon after workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged rival protests outside the BJP office near Mittal Mall. The protests erupted a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Punjab Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora from Chandigarh in connection with a money laundering case.
The situation became tense when activists from both political parties gathered at the same location and came face-to-face during demonstrations. BJP workers demanded the resignation of Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, raising questions on moral accountability following the minister’s arrest.
According to information available from the spot, BJP workers assembled outside the party office and raised slogans against the AAP government, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora. The protest was led by former MLA and BJP Bathinda district (Urban) president Sarup Chand Singla.
Soon after, AAP workers also arrived at the protest site under the leadership of party MLAs. Their arrival led to a direct confrontation-like situation between the two political groups, increasing tension in the area.
Police officials deployed in the area intervened immediately to prevent the situation from escalating further. Security personnel formed a human chain between the two groups to avoid any physical clash or disturbance.
Senior police officers, including SP (City) Narinder Singh and DSPs Amritpal Singh Bhaati and Arun Mundan, remained present at the scene to supervise security arrangements and maintain law and order.
Despite the tense atmosphere, police managed to keep the situation under control. BJP workers later returned to the party office premises but continued their protest from outside the building. Demonstrators continued to raise slogans targeting the Punjab government and demanding accountability over the arrest of the Cabinet Minister.
Meanwhile, AAP activists also continued their demonstration and raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Party workers accused the BJP of being “anti-Punjab” and alleged that central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate were being used for political purposes.
Several senior AAP leaders were present during the protest. These included MLAs Jagroop Singh Gill, Balkar Sidhu, Jagsir Singh and Sukhveer Singh Maiserkhana. Former Mayor Padamjeet Mehta, Bathinda Lok Sabha in-charge Navdeep Jeeda and district president Jatinder Bhalla also participated in the demonstration.
The protests in Bathinda were part of a larger political mobilisation by the Aam Aadmi Party across Punjab. The party had earlier given a statewide call to hold demonstrations outside BJP offices in different districts following the arrest of Sanjeev Arora by the Enforcement Directorate.
As the political confrontation intensified, authorities maintained a heavy police deployment around the BJP office area to prevent any untoward incident. Till the filing of the report, police personnel continued to remain stationed at the location as a precautionary measure.
The arrest of Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora has triggered sharp political reactions in Punjab, with both the BJP and AAP accusing each other of political misuse and misconduct. Sunday’s developments in Bathinda highlighted the growing political tension between the ruling AAP government in Punjab and the BJP amid the ongoing investigation.
Police officials have not reported any injuries or violent incident during the protests, though the atmosphere remained tense for several hours due to aggressive sloganeering from both sides.
