Chandigarh [India], March 24 (ANI): Former Punjab minister and AAP MLA Laljit Singh Bhullar was arrested on Monday in connection with the suicide of Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, a District Manager at Punjab Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar.Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had already accepted Bhullar’s resignation following the controversy.CM Mann emphasised that his government maintains zero tolerance for corruption and assured that no bias will be shown in such matters.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigation), Amritsar, Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu, said that Bhullar has been arrested in connection with the suicide case and will be produced before a court on Tuesday.He added that Bhullar has been kept at the CIA staff facility and that charges related to abetment of suicide and criminal intimidation will be invoked against him.
Speaking to ANI on Monday, DCP Sandhu said, “An arrest was made today. Our team has reached Amritsar. He (Laljit Singh Bhullar) has been kept in the CIA staff and will be presented in the court tomorrow. We have brought Laljit Singh Bhullar (to the CIA staff)… Sections related to abetment of suicide and threatening will be imposed on him.”
The controversy sparked a political uproar after allegations surfaced that Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, a District Manager with the Punjab Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar, was subjected to harassment by Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, which allegedly drove him to take his own life.Meanwhile, the Punjab Police have registered an FIR naming former Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar in connection with the suicide case, officials said.
Bhullar’s father, Sukhdev Singh Bhullar, and his PA, Dilbagh Singh, have also been booked in the case.The Punjab Congress held a protest outside the Chief Minister’s residence. Warring said that the agitation was not just for one individual but a strong message against a ‘corrupt and oppressive system’ under the AAP government. “
An honest officer has lost his life due to pressure and corruption, and instead of ensuring justice, the government is trying to suppress the truth,” he said.Warring alleged that the resignation of a minister is merely an eyewash and does not absolve the government of its responsibility. He questioned why no strict action has been taken so far and why those named by the victim are being shielded.”
This clearly shows that the government is more interested in saving its image than delivering justice,” he remarked.As per the release, calling it a fight for truth, justice, and accountability, Warring said Congress stands firmly with the bereaved family and will continue to raise its voice. “This is not just a case; it is a reflection of how deeply corruption has penetrated the system. Honest officers are being pushed to the edge while the powerful roam free,” he said. (ANI)
Ready for CBI probe into Punjab official suicide case: Amit Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday expressed his readiness to transfer the investigation into the death of Punjab official Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, who was allegedly tortured by former Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
His statement came after Amritsar Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla raised the issue in the Lok Sabha, demanding a probe into the “wrongdoing” by Bhullar, who has resigned due to the video left by the Punjab Warehousing Corporation (PWC) Officer before he committed suicide, in which he purportedly blamed the minister of harassment. “This is a matter of the Punjab state.
I request all the MPs from Punjab to write to me formally that the case be transferred to the CBI. I will do it immediately,” Shah said. Punjab Police arrested Laljit Singh Bhullar on Monday after they registered an FIR naming him in connection with the suicide case earlier, the officials said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Investigation in Amritsar, Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu said, “An arrest was made today. Our team has reached Amritsar. He (Laljit Singh Bhullar) has been kept in the CIA staff and will be presented in the court tomorrow. We have brought Laljit Singh Bhullar (to the CIA staff)… Sections related to abetment of suicide and threatening will be imposed on him.”
The Punjab State Warehousing Corporation Union also staged a sit-in protest, demanding justice in the Punjab Warehousing Corporation (PWC) Officer Randhawa’s suicide case.Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, following the resignation of Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, asserted that his government has zero tolerance for corruption.
The AAP leader said, “We have zero tolerance for corruption, and it’s not our first case. Our party has taken such action before, even in Delhi. So, if someone does something wrong and forces someone to take their own life, it’s a matter of investigation. But whether it’s our minister or anyone else, the law is the same for everyone.
The law is taking its course.”On Saturday, Punjab Chief Minister Mann accepted Bhullar’s resignation, following the political uproar triggered by a controversy involving Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, a District Manager in the Punjab Warehouse Corporation, Amritsar, who was allegedly tortured by Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, due to which he committed suicide. (ANI)
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