Chandigarh: Former Punjab cabinet minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Laljit Singh Bhullar was arrested on Monday in connection with the alleged abetment of suicide of a Punjab State Warehousing Corporation officer, a day after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against him.
The case relates to the death of Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, a district manager with the state warehousing corporation in Amritsar, whose family alleged that sustained harassment and pressure from Bhullar led him to take the extreme step.
According to police, the FIR was registered against Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar and his personal assistant under charges including abetment to suicide and criminal intimidation following a complaint filed by the deceased officer’s wife.
The family alleged that Randhawa was being pressured to favour certain bidders in warehouse tenders and faced threats after he refused to violate rules.
The incident has triggered strong political reactions across Punjab, with opposition parties demanding strict action and a transparent investigation. Some leaders also called for a CBI probe into the matter, alleging political pressure in the handling of the case. Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had asked Bhullar to resign from the cabinet amid mounting controversy.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the extent of Bhullar’s alleged involvement in the case, police said.
