MS Bitta is an Indian social activist and former politician who served as a minister in the Punjab state government. He was a member of the Indian National Congress and was the president of the Indian Youth Congress. He is the chairman of Anti-Terrorist Front of India, which works to support the relatives of martyrs of the Indian Army.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
MS Bitta aka Maninderjit Singh Bitta was born in 1957 (age 65; as of 2022) at Chowk Babasar, near Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab. He was not interested in studies and had many street fights as a child. When he was 7 years old, he used to walk in Jallianwala Bagh with his grandfather who told him about the massacre of 1919. MS Bitta took an oath at Jallianwala Bagh that he will always protect the rights of Indians by any means. His grandfather gave him biographies of many Indian freedom fighters such as Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and Subhash Chandra Bose. Due to multiple fights with other children, he had to change schools three times and dropped out of Khalsa College Amritsar after 2 years. He joined the Congress Seva Dal when he turned 14.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 9″
Hair color: black
Eye Color: Black
family
He belongs to a lower middle class non-Jati Sikh family
Religion/Religious Beliefs
He follows Sikhism.
signature/autograph
Signature of MS Bitta
Career
politics
In the late 1970s, he joined the Indian Youth Congress and started organizing public rallies and gatherings near his home.
MS Bitta was speaking at a public rally in 1982
In 1983, he became the District Chief of the Indian Youth Congress. He was organizing rallies in his district and echoing national sentiments when a wave of terrorism gripped Punjab. He traveled frequently between Amritsar and Delhi. He became known for his anti-Arjun Singh stance and PV Narsimha Rao made him the president of the Indian Youth Congress. During his tenure as president of the Indian Youth Congress, Beata formed a group of its members who often wore white robes with black turbans, which reportedly caught the attention of Rajiv Gandhi. In 1992, he became Minister for Persons with Disabilities in the Pant Singh government; However, after the attack on him, he quit politics and formed the All India Anti-Terrorism Front (AIATF).
MS Bitta (right) with PV Narsimha Rao
Anti-terrorist activist
MS Bitta formed an NGO called All India Anti-Terrorist Front (AIATF) in 1995 and started working to spread anti-terrorist messages in India. His NGO provides education to the martyrs of the Kargil war and the 2001 Parliament attack. He is a vocal critic of terrorism and openly condemns political parties for their stance against terrorism.
MS Bitta (in turban) with the family of late Captain Saurabh Kalia, who was killed in the Kargil War
His NGO AIATF worked during COVID-19 to help families of Covid victims and to help individuals and other groups in humanitarian efforts. His NGO also awards people across India for their fight against terrorism and their bravery. He criticized the ISI and repeatedly accused them of spreading terrorism in India. He also spoke freely about political terrorism and said that politics does not allow the law to punish criminals properly. He openly blamed farmer leader Rakesh Tikait for the 2021 Republic Day riots at Red Fort.
assassination attempts
Mr. Bita survived many fatal assassination attempts; Most of them, almost 15 times, used the bomb to kill him. Some call it “Zinda Shahid”. He reportedly saved himself in these efforts by changing routes, canceling programs, or leaving programs early. In 1983, when he was in class 9, he was warned by SHO Amritsar police not to hoist the Indian flag on August 15 as terrorists had warned to bomb the place and kill him. Terrorists bombed his house at 5am while he was studying using 45kg of RDX, after which he took out his father’s revolver and ran after them to shoot; However, the terrorists have already escaped. He remained undeterred and raised the flag at 12 noon. During the ceremony, several people came to attack him, but he fought them off and handed himself over to the police. In 1983, a bombing intended to kill him again took place in Delhi using 40 kg of RDX. In 1997, terrorist Major Singh was arrested in Delhi for planning to kill MS Bitta with a truck bomb. In April 2017, he received a threatening letter from a Hezb-ul-Mujahideen terrorist, and in February 2022, he received a threatening letter from ISIS.
Attack while hoisting Indian flag in Amritsar
When he was 19, he decided to hoist the Indian flag in front of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, he was attacked by bombs and survived. Recalling this incident, he said in an interview:
“Yarnail Singh Bhindranwale used to live in the temple complex in those days. They threatened us, but we went ahead. That’s when a bomb was dropped on the road. The area was engulfed in smoke. We survived to unfurl the national flag.”
Bombing of Amritsar on July 7, 1992
On July 7, 1992, he was on his way to the inauguration of a laundry factory at Golden Avenue in Amritsar, Punjab. He had already expected the bombardment the day before; However, he did not cancel his plan. The bombing took place near Wariam Singh Hospital in Rambagh area of Amritsar. The terrorists stopped a Maruti car on the side of the road and when his convoy passed them, they detonated a remote-controlled bomb, killing 12 people and injuring 63 others. He was traveling in a car with number PB08 A0002 that was damaged. His bodyguards picked him up and put him in a bulletproof car; However, his leg was seriously injured. The terrorists also shot at him from the roof of the neighboring house; However, he was not injured by the bullet. Later, MS Bitta had to have a rod implanted in his leg; The stick reportedly weighed around 4kg, which is why he still can’t climb stairs or sit on the floor with his legs folded. In an interview, he recalled the attack, described the bombing, and said:
“I was a victim of a bomb attack in 1992 when I was the PWD minister in the Punjab government. Bombs exploded in the street. My bodyguards were disbanded and their rifles turned to ashes.”
MS Bitta (in red turban) holding crutches at a rally organized after the 1992 bomb blast
September 11, 1993 Delhi bombings
Its security cover was removed on September 8, 1993, and the bombing took place on September 11, 1993. MS Bitta left the Congress youth wing headquarters in a regular ambassador car as her bulletproof car had gone for repairs. Two bombs were planted in a car parked on the side of the road. Just as the pilot vehicle exited the gate, the terrorist detonated the remote-controlled bomb. 2 of his bodyguards and 7 others were killed on the spot, and 36 were injured. MS Bitta sustained a minor injury in the chest area. He was rescued on the spot by another of his bodyguards. Many shards of metal and glass were scattered 100 yards across Parliament and surrounding government buildings. He was taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital; However, he expected terrorists to be waiting for him there, so he left for AIIMS Delhi. Khalistan terrorist Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, believed to be the mastermind behind the bombing, was later arrested. When asked about this incident in an interview, he said:
I was the president of the Youth Congress and on that day, September 11, 1993, luck saved me. However, nine others were killed and many injured at the Youth Congress office. I left the office and got into the car. The pilot car was in front of me when the second car came between them. At that moment, a car loaded with RDX parked in the nearby area burst into flames. This car, which came between my cars, made an impact and I passed away with injuries.”
A scene from the 1993 Delhi blasts
Facts/Trivia
- He is a fitness buff and a pescetarian who only eats fish three days a week.
- He uses henna products extensively in his daily life.
- PV Narsimha Rao named it ‘Zinda Shaheed’.
- It has lifetime Z+ security coverage.
- He signed for his body to be handed over after his death.
- In 2011, he sought permission from the then President Pratibha Patil to end his life as he believed that terrorists would surely kill him and did not want civilians to die because of him.
- He is one of only 3 people who have a government accommodation without MP or public office.
- In 2019, a biopic titled Zinda Shaheed on Bita’s life was announced.
News Update… Biopic on MS Bitta… Producers Shailendra Singh and Priya Gupta acquire the rights of MS Bitta’s life story… Biopic titled #Zinda Shahid… will start in the first half of 2020… director and cast will be announced soon. pic.twitter.com/txGPmnCMF5
— Taran Adarsh (@taran_adarsh) May 28, 2019
- In 2007, he said he would kill himself if the DMK government in Tamil Nadu tried to harm Ram Sethu. He said in an interview
Ram is revered by all Indians irrespective of caste and religion. Ramayana is famous all over the world. When a country itself is identified with a thing, how could it be allowed to damage the structure it had built. I will be the first person to sacrifice my life to prevent any damage to the bridge.”
- He follows the ideals of Lal Bahadur Shastri and Sardar Patel.
- After joining the Congress Seva Dal at the age of 14, he started hoisting the Indian flag in front of the Sri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar.
- During his time as a politician, Bitta was known for his aggression and he once defeated an MLA in the 1992 Punjab Assembly when the MLA criticized the then Chief Minister of Punjab Bit Singh.
- Lt Col SP Singh once demanded a bribe from the family of late Indian Air Force fighter pilot Vijay Ahuja, who was killed during the Kargil war. Later, MS Bitta helped the Bathinda police to catch and arrest Lt Col SP Singh with forty thousand rupees as bribe from Vijay’s brother Ajay Ahuja.
Categories: Sports
Source: dienchau2.edu.vn
