E-Paper
Punjab minister Laljit Bhullar resigns after warehousing DM ends life
CM Bhagwant Mann orders high-level probe into allegations of harassment and tender dispute involving the Patti AAP MLA.
Chandigarh/Amritsar:
Punjab transport and jails minister Laljit Singh Bhullar resigned from the Bhagwant Mann-led cabinet on Saturday, hours after Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, the Amritsar district manager of the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation (PSWC), ended his life after accusing the minister of harassment and coercion.
Randhawa, 45, reportedly consumed Celphos at his Ranjit Avenue residence in Amritsar in the early hours of Saturday. Before the toxin took effect, Randhawa recorded a 12-second video on his mobile phone at 12.12am, stating, “Kha layi Celphos thuade yaar ne minister Laljit Bhullar de dar ton, hun ni bachda (Your friend has consumed poison due to fear of minister Laljit Bhullar; I won’t survive now).”
His family remained unaware of the act until 5.30am, when he began shivering and complaining of unease. He was rushed to a private hospital but was declared brought dead. Randhawa is survived by his wife, a government school teacher, and three children.
Allegations of coercion at gunpoint
The controversy stems from a dispute over warehousing tenders. The PSWC Field Employees Union alleged that Randhawa was mentally harassed because he refused to clear tenders for godowns owned by political aides that did not meet technical criteria.
Randhawa’s maternal uncle, while speaking to Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, alleged a harrowing ordeal on March 13. He claimed the DM was summoned to the minister’s residence, thrashed, and forced at gunpoint to record a “confession” stating he had accepted a ₹10 lakh bribe. This video was allegedly intended for use as blackmail to force his compliance in the tendering process.
Steps down after outrage
Following the outcry and the emergence of the victim’s dying declaration on social media, chief minister Bhagwant Mann sought Bhullar’s resignation to ensure an unbiased probe. “Whatever I could do, I have done. We have taken the resignation so the investigation is not compromised,” Mann said, terming the incident “painful”.
The 42-year-old AAP MLA from Patti dismissed the allegations as “baseless and false”, claiming he stepped down voluntarily to facilitate a fair inquiry. However, the opposition launched a scathing attack. Leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa of the Congress and SAD’s Majithia demanded Bhullar’s immediate arrest on murder charges and a CBI probe, questioning why senior officials failed to act when Randhawa had previously reported the harassment to the DC and MD.
Family demands central probe
The aggrieved family has refused to perform the last rites until an FIR for abetment of suicide is registered against Bhullar. They have demanded that the post-mortem be conducted at institutions like the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research or AIIMS to ensure transparency, citing a lack of faith in the local administration which they claim turned a blind eye to the officer’s plight for over a week.
