The ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab has consistently maintained that it has provided a “clean and honest” government. However, the death of a government officer, Dr Gagandeep Singh Randhawa allegedly by suicide has raised question marks over its claims and functioning.
Randhawa, who was District Manager, Amritsar, in the Warehousing Corporation, allegedly committed suicide and blamed Transport and Jails Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar for it. He allegedly recorded a brief video before his suicide, which the opposition parties in the state are describing as his “dying declaration”.
Bhullar has since been made to resign. His resignation was accepted and later announced by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann at a press conference in Chandigarh. Mann has assured of fair probe and justice to the family.
Meanwhile, an FIR has been registered against Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar and also one of his personal assistants. Randhawa had alleged that all the three persons humiliated and physically tortured him and forcibly recorded his video statement wherein he was made to admit that he had accepted Rs 10 lakh as bribe for allotting a tender.
All the main opposition parties in Punjab, including the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party have come together demanding the arrest of the three accused. In a rare show of unity, all three opposition parties staged a joint protest in Chandigarh and tried to march towards the Chief Minister’s residence to demand the arrest of the accused. They were however stopped on their way to the CM’s residence.
Also read: Punjab minister Laljit Bhullar quits after manager’s suicide
The alleged suicide of the officer could not have come at a wrong time for the ruling party when it is preparing for Assembly elections scheduled early next year or may be in December this year, on the plank of honest government. The nature of allegations is quite serious. The deceased officer has alleged that he was being forced to allot a tender in the name of the minister’s father. This has obviously left the AAP red faced. The party will be repeatedly questioned on the suicide.
While there have been so many allegations against the government, this latest charge is too serious to be dismissed lightly. An officer has paid with his life. The AAP government is being questioned as how a minister was allowed so much unbridled authority that he could harass and intimidate a senior district level officer and force him to commit suicide.
The deceased officer had reportedly made some representations to his seniors seeking transfer to avoid pressure and intimidation by the minister. His wife has alleged that the minister had even threatened to get him and his family kidnapped and killed. This, she added, had led them to send off their children to a relative’s place.
It took some time for the government to register an FIR against the minister and his father. The government is under intense pressure to get him and his father arrested. They were not arrested till Sunday afternoon, about 36 hours after the incident. Given the nature of charges, the police will have to eventually arrest him.
While the law will take its own course, for the ruling AAP, the incident is going to haunt it for a long time. It has already taken the sheen out of its claims of a “corruption-free” government. Here, the charges are against one of their ministers who allegedly wanted a contract in the name of his father and not some party worker or supporter. And he allegedly wanted the particular officer to go out of way to allot the warehouse contract to his father. These charges are very serious and will be very difficult for the AAP to defend.
Also read: Ex-Punjab Min Bhullar among 3 booked in distt manager's suicide
Bhullar is the third minister in the AAP government who made an ungraceful exit. Earlier, former health minister Dr Vijay Singla was removed and arrested over the allegations of corruption. The Chief Minister had personally announced his dismissal and arrest, claiming that the AAP believed in ‘zero tolerance’ towards corruption. This was in the very beginning of the AAP’s tenure. Singla has since been acquitted of all the charges.
Another minister Balkar Singh, a former cop, was also removed after an objectionable video about him went viral on the social media. Similarly, an objectionable video of yet another minister went viral on social media. However, that minister continues to be in the government.
Opposition leaders like Sunil Jakhar have been repeatedly demanding a probe into the assets of the AAP’s MLAs raising questions as to how they could accumulate so much wealth in a short period of time without any known source of income. Some of the MLAs are accused of having constructed palatial houses. Besides, some MLAs are also facing charges of illegal sand mining.
While these are the standard charges against the leaders and legislators of any ruling party, but the one concerning Laljit Bhullar has the potential to prove explosive. The best course for the AAP government is to let the police do its job with the arrest of the minister and get the matter probed independently, preferably through a judicial probe.
Justice should not only be done, it must also seem to have been done. For the AAP government the credibility of the probe is as important as providing justice in the matter.
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