A case has been registered against former Punjab minister Laljit Singh Bhullar in connection with the alleged suicide of a state warehousing corporation official. The FIR also names Bhullar’s father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar and his personal assistant Dilbag Singh.
The case has been lodged under sections related to abetment of suicide, criminal intimidation and common intention of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Ranjit Avenue Police Station in Amritsar.
Warehousing Official Dies By Suicide
The development follows the death of Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, district manager of the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation, who died after allegedly consuming a poisonous substance on Saturday.
Randhawa was also holding additional charge of Patti at the time.
The complaint leading to the FIR was filed by his wife, Upinder Kaur, on Saturday night.
A purported video of Randhawa surfaced on social media, in which he claimed to have consumed Celphos and blamed Bhullar for harassment.
In the clip, he is heard saying he took the extreme step out of fear of the minister and expressed doubt about his survival.
Bhullar Denies Charges, Calls Them Baseless
Bhullar, an MLA from Patti in Tarn Taran district, has rejected all allegations, terming them “baseless.”
However, the controversy escalated after opposition leaders accused him of pressuring Randhawa to award a warehouse tender to his father.
Additional allegations suggest Randhawa was forced to record a video confessing to accepting a Rs 10 lakh bribe and was allegedly assaulted and humiliated during a meeting on March 13.
Resignation Amid Mounting Pressure
Amid the growing row, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asked Bhullar to step down to ensure a fair probe.
Bhullar resigned from the state cabinet on Saturday, relinquishing his portfolios of transport and prisons, which will now be reassigned.
Mann has directed the chief secretary to conduct an impartial investigation, asserting that no negligence will be tolerated in the matter.
The incident has triggered sharp political reactions, with opposition parties targeting the AAP government over the allegations.
They have demanded strict action against Bhullar, intensifying pressure on the state administration as the probe gets underway.
Police said further investigation is ongoing to ascertain the circumstances leading to Randhawa’s death and examine the allegations levelled against the accused.
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