Chandigarh: Union minister of state for railways Ravneet Singh Bittu on Wednesday appeared before the Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission in Chandigarh in connection with the Dhuri incident and submitted a written apology for his objectionable remarks against the Dalit community.Observing that the words used by Bittu and the circumstances surrounding the deletion of the video hurt the sentiments of society and could potentially disrupt communal harmony in Punjab, the commission asked the minister to visit four religious places and pay his respects. “Keeping in view the larger interest of maintaining social harmony in the future, the commission has directed Bittu to pay obeisance at four religious places associated with the Scheduled Caste community in Punjab: Dera Baba Brahmdas, a site associated with the life of Dr B R Ambedkar; Dera Sant Sarwan Dass Sachkhand Ballan, associated with Guru Ravidas Maharaj; Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal; and Sri Darbar Sahib Amritsar Sahib,” an official spokesperson of the commission said.Clarifying his position regarding the incident, Bittu said he was committed to respecting the Scheduled Caste community and “deeply regrets the words that were uttered unintentionally.”The spokesperson stated, “In his apology letter, Ravneet Singh Bittu acknowledged that the words he used were legally wrong and stated that he also deleted the controversial video.”The controversy arose during voting for the municipal council elections in Dhuri town of Sangrur district. During a heated argument with police while leading a protest against the arrest of a BJP leader, Bittu allegedly made the objectionable caste-related remarks against police personnel and the SC community.The videos of the incident went viral on social media, following which the commission took suo motu notice of the matter, sought a report from the Sangrur police, and summoned Bittu to appear personally before it.Earlier, Bittu was represented through his lawyers during two previous hearings before the commission. However, taking a strict stance, the commission directed him to appear in person.Ends MSID:: 131969232 413 |
