Ludhiana, Aug. 8 -- A six-day protest by BJP councillors at the MC Zone D office in Ludhiana came to an unexpected and quiet conclusion just after midnight on Wednesday. The protest, which began on August 1 over alleged administrative neglect and political interference, ended following a series of closed-door meetings between civic officials, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, and BJP leadership. The secretive nature of the settlement has since raised more questions than it answered.

The breakthrough came after municipal commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal invited BJP councillors for a meeting on Wednesday night. He began by apologising for not being available when the issue first erupted and assured the councillors that their demands would be ad...