Before his death, the government official recorded a brief video message on his mobile phone, claiming he took the extreme step out of fear of the former minister.
Punjab Police on Sunday registered a case against former Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar hours after a senior government official allegedly died by suicide in Amritsar.
The deceased, Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, was serving as District Manager with the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation. Police said he reportedly consumed Celphos at his residence on Saturday.
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Randhawa had accused the minister of harassment and coercion. Before his death, Randhawa recorded a brief video message on his mobile phone, claiming he took the extreme step out of fear of the former minister. The 12-second video message said, “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).”
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Randhawa is survived by his wife, a government school teacher, and three children.
In her complaint, Randhawa’s wife, Upinder Kaur, accused Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Bhullar, and his personal assistant Dilbagh Singh of harassment and assault. She held them responsible for abetment to suicide.
Based on the complaint, police have booked the accused under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 108 (abetment to suicide), Section 351 (criminal intimidation), and Section 3(5) (common intention).
#WATCH | Punjab Warehousing Corporation (PWC) official suicide case in Amritsar | Wife of deceased Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, Upinder Kaur says, “…Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar tortured my husband a lot. My husband was made so helpless that he took his own life…He… pic.twitter.com/EmYRUONUXK
— ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2026
Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar said party leaders would stage a protest outside Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s residence in Chandigarh, demanding Bhullar’s immediate arrest.
Jakhar, who met the bereaved family in Amritsar, called the incident “equivalent to the broad daylight murder of a government officer” and questioned the state government’s handling of the case.
Jakhar said Chief Minister Mann no longer has any moral basis to remain in power. He noted that earlier, people in Punjab were losing their lives due to their inability to pay extortion and were facing gangster rule, but now even government officials are being forced to take their own lives due to their inability to meet the alleged demands of Ministers.
The BJP leader also criticised the decision to have Chief Secretary K.A.P. Sinha look into the matter, asking whether such cases should be handled at the administrative level.
The Chief Secretary was asked to look into the allegations of harassment and tender dispute involving Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Bhullar, who represents the Patti Assembly constituency.
He alleged that the incident reflects deeper issues within the state government and accused it of failing to protect even its own officials.
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