Police officials confirmed that charges of abetment to suicide and criminal intimidation are set to be invoked against the former minister.
Punjab: Former minister Laljit Bhullar arrested in govt official’s suicide case; to be produced in court today
Former Punjab minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Laljit Singh Bhullar was arrested on Monday in connection with the suicide of Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, a District Manager at Punjab Warehousing Corporation (PWC) in Amritsar.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigation) Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu, Bhullar has been taken into custody and will be produced before a local court on Tuesday. He is currently being held at the CIA staff facility in Amritsar.
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Police officials confirmed that charges of abetment to suicide and criminal intimidation are set to be invoked against the former minister.
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The arrest follows the registration of an FIR last week, in which Bhullar was named as an accused in the case. Bhullar’s father, Sukhdev Singh Bhullar, and his personal assistant, Dilbagh Singh, have also been booked in the case.
The case has triggered widespread political controversy after allegations emerged that Randhawa was subjected to sustained harassment by Bhullar, allegedly pushing him to take the extreme step.
Amid mounting pressure, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagant Mann had earlier accepted Bhullar’s resignation from the Cabinet. Reiterating his government’s stance, Mann said the government follows a “zero tolerance” policy towards corruption and assured that the law would take its course without bias.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed that the arrest came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah offered that the case could be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) if there is a formal request from Members of Parliament.
Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar alleged that the state government is reluctant to transfer the probe to the CBI, claiming that such a move could expose wider links involving AAP leaders.
He said, “The state government does not want the case to go to the CBI because, if that happens, several layers involving AAP leaders, including those from Delhi, would be exposed, and it would reveal where the money collected by Ministers like Bhullar was being sent”.
The investigation into the case is ongoing.
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