BJP leaders detained ahead of CM’s Nakodar visit, released later

BJP leaders heading to Nakodar to show black flags to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over incessant power cuts were detained by Jalandhar police on Sunday afternoon. They were released around 5.30 pm.

The protest was organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Lambra Mandal and was led by senior party leader Mandeep Bakshi. The demonstrators planned to wave black flags at the Chief Minister in protest against the escalating power outages in Punjab and the severe hardships faced by the general public.

They were to hold the protest on the side-lines of Mann's visit to Dera Laal Badshah at Nakodar, where the CM paid obeisance today. The police administration deployed a heavy force even before the protest began. As Bakshi set out from the mandal office with his associates, they were intercepted by the Lambra police and taken to the Lambra police station, after which they were subsequently taken to the Mand police post at Maqsudan.

BJP leaders stated that the people of the state are distressed by the power crisis, yet the government is attempting to suppress voices of dissent instead of addressing the public's grievances. They sought that the government focus should on resolving issues rather than detaining those raising a voice.

BJP leader Mandeep Bakshi said, "We had plans to gather for a peaceful protest against the CM at Nakodar. I, along with my associates gathered at Lambra where a heavy police force was present. We were detained by the police and prevented from heading to the protest site. I was taken to Mand police station. We were let off at about 5.30 pm."

After being released, the leaders staged a protest at Basti Danishmandan.

BJP leader Mandeep Bakshi said, "People are sick of power cuts. Industrialists, traders and farmers are facing the brunt. We're getting 2 to 5 hours of cuts daily at Lambra and day-long cuts at Basti Danishmandan too."