Top opposition parties in Punjab on Sunday held a joint protest in Chandigarh demanding the arrest of former minister Laljit Singh Bhullar over the alleged abetment of a state warehousing official’s suicide, with police detaining several leaders and using water cannons to disperse protesters.
The protest followed the death of Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, a district manager with the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar, who allegedly consumed poison on Saturday. A purported video message surfaced in which he accused Bhullar of harassment. The minister resigned later the same day at the direction of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Leaders from the Congress, BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) attempted to march towards the chief minister’s residence to stage a ‘gherao’, but were stopped by heavy police deployment. Barricades were erected and water cannons were used when protesters tried to breach security.
Among those detained were Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, BJP leader Sunil Jakhar, and SAD leaders Bikram Singh Majithia and Daljit Singh Cheema. They were later released.
The police have registered a case against Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar and personal assistant Dilbag Singh under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including abetment of suicide and criminal intimidation.
Randhawa’s family has refused to allow a post-mortem examination or cremation until Bhullar is arrested. His brother alleged that the official had been subjected to sustained mental harassment.
Also read: Punjab minister Laljit Bhullar quits after manager’s suicide
Opposition leaders accused the AAP government of inaction. Majithia claimed that despite Randhawa raising complaints earlier, no action was taken. “Had the state government acted timely in the matter, Randhawa would have survived,” he said.
Jakhar said the protest would continue until Bhullar’s arrest, while Bajwa described the agitation as a united fight for justice and accountability.
Warring said the protest was for “every honest employee” facing pressure from a “corrupt system”, adding that the opposition would continue its struggle until justice was delivered.
The opposition has also demanded a CBI probe into the circumstances leading to the death.
Bhullar, however, has rejected the allegations as baseless.
The incident has triggered a rare show of unity among Punjab’s opposition parties, intensifying political pressure on the AAP government ahead of the ongoing row.
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