Ex-Punjab minister Bhullar arrested in warehouse official suicide case

Laljit Singh Bhullar, a former Punjab transport and jails minister, was arrested from Mandi Gobindgarh in Fatehgarh Sahib district in connection with the suicide of a Punjab Warehousing Corporation official. The event has put the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab back under intense scrutiny as opposition parties demand accountability at the highest level. The case centers on allegations that the official, Gagandeep Randhawa, faced harassment and pressure to award a warehouse tender to a person connected to Bhullar’s inner circle. A video linked to the incident shows Randhawa accusing Bhullar of pressuring him to manipulate the tender process, a claim that has galvanised political opponents to press for a full arrest and investigation. Randhawa, who served as district manager of the Punjab Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar, reportedly died by suicide after the distressing confrontation captured in the video. Documents and family statements have cited humiliating treatment and pressure to accept a bribe of ₹10 lakh, intensifying calls for justice and transparency in the handling of warehouse tenders. Bhullar himself had resigned from his ministerial post after his name surfaced in connection with the case, and he later announced on social media that he had surrendered. The family of the deceased has urged authorities to secure the arrest of the accused before any final rites, arguing that accountability cannot be sidestepped in a case that has drawn national political attention. In parallel, opposition parties — including Congress, BJP, and SAD — staged demonstrations across the state, and also attempted to gherao the Chief Minister’s residence in Chandigarh as lawmakers pressed for swift action. Police used water cannons to disperse crowds as protests turned more organized, highlighting the fault lines in Punjab’s political landscape as investigators seek to determine the full extent of any wrongdoing and whether there were systemic lapses in the warehousing wing. The investigation is ongoing as authorities piece together the timeline from March 13, when the alleged pressure began, to March 22 and beyond, when Bhullar’s arrest was confirmed. The case raises broader questions about governance, tender integrity, and the protection of whistleblowers within state agencies, with the family and opposition parties demanding a thorough inquiry and swift justice. Bhullar’s surrender and the arrest mark a dramatic turn in a controversy that has already unsettled Punjab’s political order, and observers say the coming days will reveal how deeply the allegations run within the bureaucracy and the ruling party.

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