Wife of Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, the district manager of Punjab State Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar, who allegedly ended his life by consuming poison early on Saturday, said the postmortem and last rites will only be conducted after former minister Laljit Singh Bhullar and other accused are arrested.
Addressing a press conference in Amritsar on Sunday, the official’s widow, Upinder Kaur, alleged Bhullar of torturing her husband. “My husband was made so helpless that he ended his life. He was threatened that his family, his children would be finished,” she said.
Randhawa allegedly ended his life on Saturday, and a video appeared in which he purportedly claimed harassment by Bhullar, who resigned as minister later in the day at the direction of chief minister Bhagwant Mann amid the row.
The police on Saturday night booked Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar, and personal assistant Dilbag Singh under sections 108 (abetment of suicide), 351 (3) (criminal intimidation) and 3 (5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The FIR in the case has been registered on a complaint of Randhawa’s wife, at Ranjit Avenue Police Station in Amritsar on Saturday night, hours after Bhullar tendered his resignation from the state cabinet.
Accompanied by her three children and mother-in-law, Kaur said her husband was tortured and beaten up at Bhullar’s residence on March 13. “He (Randhawa) told me everything… he had even made a complaint to his department. They only kept giving him assurances, but nothing happened,” alleged Kaur.
{{/usCountry}}Accompanied by her three children and mother-in-law, Kaur said her husband was tortured and beaten up at Bhullar’s residence on March 13. “He (Randhawa) told me everything… he had even made a complaint to his department. They only kept giving him assurances, but nothing happened,” alleged Kaur.
{{/usCountry}}Citing that her family is still under threat, Kaur demanded a security cover. “I fear for my life… security should be provided to my children and me… if anything happens to us, the state government will be responsible,” she added.
Meanwhile, senior police officials led by deputy commissioner of police (investigation) RPS Sandhu visited the victim’s family and tried to persuade Randhawa’s wife for the postmortem, but she remained adamant on arrests.
Outside the residence, the Police officials avoided responding to media queries. When asked about the arrest, Sandhu said: “We have registered a case. Irrespective of the arrest, a postmortem is necessary for further legal proceedings of the case.”