District Manager Gagandeep Singh Randhawa died after consuming a pesticide, having recorded a video explicitly naming Transport Minister Bhullar. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann accepted the resignation and vowed an uncompromised investigation.
Punjab Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar submitted his resignation on Saturday, hours after a video surfaced in which a senior state official, moments before his death, directly accused Bhullar of harassment and coercion. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann accepted the resignation and announced that the minister’s portfolios would be reassigned.
Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, the District Manager of the Punjab State Warehouse Corporation in Amritsar, consumed Sulfas (aluminium phosphide) late on Friday night. He was rushed to hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on Saturday morning. In a video recorded prior to his death, Randhawa explicitly named Bhullar, alleging the minister had subjected him to physical assault and pressure to confess to accepting a bribe of ₹10 lakh.
Chief Minister: ‘The Investigation Will Not Be Compromised’
Following the emergence of the video, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann moved swiftly to accept Bhullar’s resignation. Addressing the press, Mann said: “We cannot allow the investigation to be compromised. We did not come to power to harass officials.” He confirmed that Bhullar’s portfolios would be reallocated to another cabinet minister at the earliest.
Police and administrative officials arrived at the hospital upon receiving information about the incident. An investigation into the full sequence of events has been initiated, with officials stating that a complete picture will only emerge once the probe has concluded.
Opposition Demands Arrest, Criminal Charges
The opposition was swift and fierce in its response. Congress leader Sukhpal Khaira demanded the immediate registration of a criminal case against Bhullar, alleging that the minister and his associates had physically assaulted Randhawa before his death.
“First, the Minister and his associates physically assaulted Randhawa; subsequently — prior to taking his own life — Randhawa explicitly named the Minister. I urge the government and the police to arrest this Minister immediately,” Khaira wrote on X, warning that failure to act would signal that the police were being used to settle political scores.
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia also took to social media to condemn the government, while BJP leader Sunil Jakhar drew a pointed comparison: “Previously, people lost their lives unable to pay ransom. Now, officials are being forced to sacrifice their lives because they cannot meet the bribery demands of government ministers.”
BJP Calls for High-Level Inquiry
BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh described the incident as deeply tragic and said it raised grave questions about the conduct of those in power. He alleged that Randhawa had been summoned to the minister’s residence, beaten, and coerced into confessing to accepting a bribe — a claim he said illustrated how ministers were pressuring officials into facilitating illegal commissions.
“Corruption within the AAP government has reached its zenith,” Chugh said. “We demand an immediate, high-level inquiry into the suicide of Gagandeep Singh. The perpetrators must be held accountable at all costs.”
Congress MP Gurjit Singh Aujla also visited the hospital in the wake of the incident, calling for a fully impartial investigation to ensure the facts are brought to light.
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