Chandigarh, Mar 23 (PTI) Former Punjab minister Laljit Singh Bhullar was arrested on Monday, two days after an official of the state warehousing corporation died by suicide after accusing the AAP MLA of harassing him.
Bhullar was arrested from Mandi Gobindgarh in Fatehgarh Sahib district, a police official told reporters in Amritsar.
Police said Bhullar was being brought from Mandi Gobindgarh to Amritsar.
Bhullar will be produced in a court in Amritsar on Tuesday, said the police official.
Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, the district manager of Punjab State Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar, allegedly ended his life by consuming poison early Saturday. 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 Amritsar 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 (BNS).
Following Bhullar’s arrest, Randhawa’s family demanded a CBI probe into the circumstances that led to the official’s death.
The family also sought that the post-mortem examination be conducted by a panel of doctors from the Chandigarh-based PGIMER under the supervision of a judicial magistrate.
Mann asserted that strict action will be taken against anyone who violates the law irrespective of any position they hold.
“For me, the entire Punjab is one family. If anyone in Punjab violates the law, strict action will be taken against him, no matter what position he holds or whether he is a relative or an influential person. Shielding anyone is not our party’s agenda,” said Mann in a post on X.
In a Facebook post before his arrest, Bhullar said he was surrendering in Mandi Gobindgarh and also said rumours were being spread that he had run away but there was no truth in it.
“I will never run from the truth. I have full faith in the law of the country, and I also have unshakable faith in the justice system. I have not run away anywhere, I am in my Punjab.
“Believing in truth and justice, I am surrendering myself at Mandi Gobindgarh,” said Bhullar.
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal said his party’s government in Punjab took immediate action after a minister faced accusations.
“Recently, a minister in the AAP government in Punjab faced serious allegations. Without any delay or discrimination, our government took immediate action against the minister, not only removing him from office but also having him arrested.
“Some time ago, an ADGP in Haryana committed suicide. Serious allegations were levelled against several people, yet their entire party and government came out it support of the culprits,” said Kejriwal.
He was apparently referring to the suicide of senior Haryana IPS officer Y Puran Kumar last October.
“This is the difference between AAP and the BJP. When it comes to justice, AAP does not hesitate to take action even against its own government ministers, while the BJP sacrifices justice itself to protect its own people,” alleged Kejriwal.
The suicide by Randhawa triggered a political row with opposition parties taking on the Mann government and jointly holding a protest, demanding the arrest of Bhullar and a CBI probe into the matter.
In Delhi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah promised to immediately order a CBI inquiry into Randhawa’s suicide if all Punjab MPs give him a written request on the matter.
The issue was raised in the Lok Sabha by Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Congress MP from Amritsar.
Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar said the Mann government was forced to proceed with the arrest of Bhullar because Amit Shah indicated that the case might be handed over to the CBI for investigation.
Earlier, four Congress MPs — Aujla, Charanjit Singh Channi, Sukhjnder Singh Randhawa and Dharmavira Gandhi — wrote to Shah, demanding a CBI probe.
Separately, SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal also wrote to Shah for a CBI inquiry.
Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa wrote to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, seeking suo motu cognisance in the death of Randhawa and a court-monitored probe to ensure truth, accountability and protection for the family.
The BJP on Monday held districtwise protests against the AAP government over the issue of Randhawa’s suicide.
Earlier in the day, Randhawa’s family issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Punjab government to arrest him.
“It is my ultimatum that if nothing is done within 24 hours, then I, along with my children (two daughters and a son), will come on the roads,” said Randhawa’s wife Upinder Kaur, who is a science teacher.
A purported CCTV footage surfaced on social media on Monday, showing Randhawa consuming a poisonous substance.
A video surfaced on social media on Saturday in which Randhawa, who held the additional charge of Patti, was purportedly heard saying that he had consumed a poisonous substance and accused the transport minister of harassment.
In her complaint lodged with the police, Randhawa’s wife claimed that her husband was constantly pressurised to allot a warehouse tender to Bhullar’s father and had even threatened to harm him and his family.
Kaur, in her complaint, which is part of the FIR, said her husband told her that he was continuously pressurised to get the tender approved in the name of Bhullar’s father under any circumstances.
Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar and his PA Dilbagh Singh allegedly threatened that if the tender was not approved in the name of Sukhdev Singh Bhullar, then Randhawa and his family would have to face consequences, Randhawa’s wife Kaur said in her complaint. PTI CHS VSD KSS KSS
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