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Bittu targets Mann over ‘gunda raj’ in Punjab, demands CBI probe into official’s suicide
Union minister claims AAP governance failure in Lok Sabha; Punjab Congress MPs write to Amit Shah seeking central investigation.
Hours before former transport minister Laljit Singh Bhullar was arrested in Punjab on Monday, Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu launched a blistering attack on chief minister Bhagwant Mann in the Lok Sabha, accusing him of presiding over “lawlessness” in the state. Flagging the alleged harassment of government officials, Bittu joined opposition MPs in demanding a CBI probe into the suicide of a state warehousing corporation district manager.
Bhullar, the Patti AAP MLA who stepped down as minister over the weekend, was arrested by the Punjab Police from Mandi Gobindgarh in Fatehgarh Sahib district on Monday afternoon. In a statement released before being taken into custody, the former minister claimed he was “voluntarily surrendering” and rejected rumours that he was absconding. Reacting to the development, chief minister Mann posted on X that strict action would be taken against anyone who violates the law, regardless of their position.
“The culprit for this is Bhagwant Mann, the chief minister of Punjab. He is allowing the mafia and gunda raj there. Who will protect the dignity of our sisters and mothers when it is threatened?” Bittu said in the House, drawing the Lok Sabha’s attention to the incident which has triggered major protests in Punjab.
On March 21, Punjab State Warehousing Corporation district manager Gagandeep Singh Randhawa died by suicide, allegedly following threats made by Bhullar against his female family members over the withdrawal of a tender. Bhullar resigned at Mann’s direction the next day after an FIR under Sections 108 (abetment of suicide), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), and 3(5) (joint liability) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was filed against him, his father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar, and personal assistant Dilbagh Singh.
“Imagine his state as a father. He wrote a letter to his MD (managing director) and the DC (deputy commissioner). No one responded to save them,” Bittu said of Randhawa.
Bittu cited another incident where Baghapurana sub-divisional magistrate Babandeep Singh Walia lodged a complaint alleging “extreme harassment and mental agony” by Moga deputy commissioner Sagar Setia as an example of AAP’s governance failure. He added that while Mann sports a yellow turban to evoke Bhagat Singh’s ideals, it was unfortunate that such incidents were taking place close to the freedom fighter’s martyrdom anniversary on Monday.
The BJP MP noted that the joint demand raised by various political parties, including the BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal, and Congress, to refer Randhawa’s case to the CBI was unprecedented. In a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah accessed by HT, Congress MPs from Punjab — Charanjit Singh Channi, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Dr Dharamvir Gandhi, and Gurjeet Singh Aujla — expressed concerns over Randhawa’s death and Bhullar’s involvement, demanding a CBI inquiry.
“In view of the seriousness of the case and the public interest involved, we request that necessary directions may kindly be issued at the earliest to formally entrust the investigation to the CBI, ensuring a fair, transparent, and time-bound probe,” the letter reads.
Criticising the AAP MPs present in the House, Bittu said: “All of us MPs from Punjab will write (to the home ministry). The two MPs from AAP, if they are from Punjab and if they respect the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, should also demand a CBI inquiry.”
