Daijiworld Media Network - Chandigarh
Chandigarh, Mar 23: Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Punjab transport minister Laljit Singh Bhullar was arrested on Monday in connection with the death of a Punjab State Warehousing Corporation official, Gagandeep Singh Randhawa. The arrest took place in Mandi Gobindgarh town.
A case against Bhullar was registered on Sunday, hours after Randhawa ended his life at his Amritsar residence. Before his death, Randhawa reportedly recorded a 12-second video alleging harassment and coercion by Bhullar, saying that he had consumed poison due to fear of the minister. Randhawa is survived by his wife, Upinder Kaur, a government school teacher, and their three children.
Following the arrest, chief minister Bhagwant Mann posted on X, stating: “For me, the entire Punjab is one family. If anyone in Punjab violates the law, strict action will be taken against them, no matter what position they hold or whether they are my relative or someone influential.”
In addition to Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Bhullar and personal assistant Dilbagh Singh have been booked under Sections 108 (abetment to suicide), 351 (criminal intimidation), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Upinder Kaur, in her complaint, alleged that Bhullar, his father, and PA Dilbagh Singh assaulted her husband and were responsible for abetting his suicide.
Punjab BJP President Sunil Jakhar condemned the incident, saying the Chief Minister has lost the moral authority to remain in power. He called for immediate action against Bhullar and described the officer’s death as tantamount to a “broad daylight murder” of a government official. Jakhar also criticized the decision to hand over the probe to State Chief Secretary K.A.P. Sinha, questioning his authority to investigate murder cases.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, joined Congress’s protest on Sunday, expressing solidarity with Randhawa’s family and emphasizing that the issue represents a larger struggle for justice, accountability, and protection of honest officers in the state.