Former Punjab transport minister Laljit Singh Bhullar was arrested from Mandi Gobindgarh in Fatehgarh Sahib district on Monday afternoon in connection with a suicide abetment case of a warehouse corporation officer, a senior police officer confirmed to HT.
State minister Bhullar resigned on Saturday following allegations that he had harassed Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, district manager of the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar. Randhawa died allegedly by consuming poison earlier that day.
The arrest came barely two hours after Gurjeet Singh Aujla, a Congress MP from Amritsar, raised the issue in parliament, prompting a reply from Union home minister, Amit Shah. He was about to leave the lower house when Aujla requested him to listen to what he had to say. To which Shah replied that if all the Punjab MPs together submit a written request, he will immediately order a CBI inquiry.
Bhullar claims ‘he is surrendering’
In a Facebook post before the arrest, Bhullar claimed that he has complete faith in the judiciary and, hence, has “surrendered”.
“Every decision in my life has been guided by their welfare and by the path of truth. But today, the rumours being spread—that I have absconded—are not true. I have never been someone who runs away from the truth,” said Bhullar.
{{/usCountry}}“Every decision in my life has been guided by their welfare and by the path of truth. But today, the rumours being spread—that I have absconded—are not true. I have never been someone who runs away from the truth,” said Bhullar.
{{/usCountry}}“I have complete faith in the law of the country and unwavering trust in the justice system. I have not run anywhere; I am here in my Punjab. With faith in truth and justice, I am voluntarily surrendering myself in Mandi Gobindgarh,” he added.
Reacting to the former minister's arrest, state chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann wrote on X: “For me, the entire Punjab is one family. If anyone in Punjab violates the law, strict action will be taken against them.”
He added, “No matter what position they hold or whether they are my relative or someone influential.. Protecting anyone is not our party's agenda.. There is a strict prohibition on cash and favors.”
Union minister of state Ravneet Singh Bittu has also reacted to the incident, while talking to reporters outside parliament, he said, “This incident was caused by Laljit Bhullar, a cabinet minister in Punjab who is also the Transport Minister and Jail Minister. He pressured a District Magistrate (DM), who is the District Manager, to award an FCI tender in the name of his father, Jagdeep Singh.”
(With inputs from HT correspondent)