Punjab: Another associate of Bittu arrested

Punjab: The Patiala police on Monday arrested a close aide of Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The action was taken following a complaint by Lahori Gate resident Ashu, who accused Bittu’s aide Rajesh Atri of making casteist remarks against him over a WhatsApp call on Sunday evening. Atri is the second aide of Bittu arrested in the last two days. Earlier on Sunday, Ludhiana police arrested his close aide Rajiv Raja in an extortion case. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Satnam Singh said the complainant in his complaint has stated that he had dialled Atri’s phone number by mistake. “During the conversation, Atri allegedly used abusive words against the complainant,” the DSP said. However, the police officer said that since WhatsApp calls are end-to-end encrypted, they cannot be traced. “So we need to question him in the case,” he said. Relatives of Atri rejected the allegations and demanded a thorough probe into the charges. “The FIR was lodged only on the statement of the complainant, whom Attri does not even know,” a relative said. Minister’s aide sent to 2-day police custody Meanwhile, a Ludhiana court sent Bittu’s aide Rajiv Raja to two-day police custody in an extortion case. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Ramandeep Singh Bhullar told the media that Raja is accused of making an extortion call to a city-based businessman Ravish Gupta. He said Gupta had received a call in which some unknown persons demanded Rs 30 lakh from him. Police have arrested three more people in the case, who have revealed their involvement, according to the officer. “We cannot comment on Raja’s exact role in the extortion case. Police are conducting a thorough investigation and things will become clear soon,” Bhullar said.