Amritsar warehousing official’s suicide: Family alleges lapses in probe, seeks arrest of remaining accused

Speaking to the media along with her children and mother-in-law, Randhawa‘s wife Upinder Kaur said that the family demands a fair, transparent and time-bound probe and will not settle for anything less than justice.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the police probe into the suicide of Punjab State Warehousing Corporation (PSWC) official Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, his wife Upinder Kaur on Sunday raised concerns over action against the accused, including former minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar and personal assistant Dilbag Singh.

Former minister Laljit Singh Bhullar has been arrested in the case.

Speaking to the media along with her children and mother-in-law, she said that the family demands a fair, transparent and time-bound probe and will not settle for anything less than justice.

“I have wept as a wife, but I will stand against police inaction and shoddy and tainted investigation. If an honest officer can be pushed to such an end, then what remains safe for the common man? My husband did not die a natural death. Two of the accused, the ex-minister’s father and his PA, are yet to be arrested,” she alleged.

Randhawa, 45, died after consuming poison at his Amritsar house on March 21. In a dying declaration recorded via a 12-second video, Randhawa identified ex-minister Bhullar as the source of his distress. According to the complaint, Randhawa was summoned to the minister’s residence on March 13, where he was allegedly assaulted, humiliated at gunpoint, and pressured to approve tenders in Sukhdev Singh Bhullar’s name. The ex-minister has been arrested in the case and is currently in judicial custody.

Upinder kaur claimed that according to her late husband’s accounts, there were six persons involved in the assault at former minister Bhullar’s residence, but only three have been nominated in the FIR. “The rest remain unidentified to date”, she said.

She alleged that despite repeated messages and reminders to the police and meeting them in person, neither the phone nor the DVR hard disk has been recovered till now.

“Even the weapon, the pistol with which my husband was hit on the head, has neither been demanded nor recovered by the police. It is also a matter of concern that despite repeated requests, the statements of key officials including Gautam Jain (MD), Amandeep Singh (GM), Tarun (MD Commercial) of PSWHC, Rahul (DC Tarn Taran), and members of the inspection team have not been recorded,” she said, adding that she has sent messages to the Punjab director general of police, Amritsar commissioner of police and the DCP (investigation) RPS Sandhu, who is investigating the case but no action has been taken.

DCP (Investigation) Sandhu said the probe is ongoing, and the remaining accused will be arrested soon.

“We are on it and continuing our efforts to ensure justice. The probe is underway, and the absconding accused will be arrested soon,” Sandhu said.