Opposition seeks arrestof AAP leader in Punjab

Opposition parties in Punjab on Sunday (March 22, 2026) mounted pressure on the ruling Aam Aadmi Party for the arrest of its senior leader Laljit Singh Bhullar, who stepped down as a Minister from the Cabinet after his name surfaced in connection with the death of a State warehousing corporation official who died by suicide.

Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, district manager of the Punjab Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar, allegedly died by suicide early on Saturday after consuming what appeared to be a poisonous substance, as seen in a purported video linked to the incident. In the video, Mr. Randhawa had accused Mr. Bhullar of harassing him by pressuring him to award a tender to the Minister’s aide.

Demanding the immediate arrest of the Minister, the family of the deceased said they would not perform the last rites or permit the post-mortem until the accused is arrested. “We want justice,” Upinder Kaur, the wife of the deceased, said in Amritsar while speaking to media persons. She said that her husband was humiliated, assaulted and forced to admit that he had accepted a ₹10 lakh bribe when he was summoned to the Minister’s residence in Patti. “This happened on March 13. Unable to bear the torment, my husband took his own life,” she alleged.

She added, “My husband was being pressurised by Bhullar to manipulate a warehouse tender.”

In Chandigarh, opposition parties, including the Indian National Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiromani Akali Dal, demonstrated collectively against the AAP government as they attempted to ‘gherao’ the residence of Bhagwant Mann, Chief Minister of Punjab.

Police used water cannons to disperse the agitating members and leaders of political parties as they marched to ‘gherao’ the Chief Minister’s residence. The political parties held a joint agitation to press for the Minister’s arrest.

Leader of the Opposition and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said serious allegations had emerged indicating that the deceased was subjected to illegal confinement and extortion. “The facts clearly establish cognizable offences, and the law must take its due course without delay or dilution,” he said. He demanded that provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act also be invoked against Mr. Bhullar for allegedly misusing his official position to coerce a public servant into committing illegal acts.

Bikram Singh Majithia of the Shiromani Akali Dal said that “AAP Minister’s hooliganism, corruption and gangster threats pushed a capable officer to death, and even in such a serious matter, all opposition parties had to unite and raise their voice for justice.”

He demanded that the accused be arrested immediately and that the probe be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Sunil Jakhar, president of the Punjab unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party, said that after strong public opposition the AAP government was forced last night to register a case against the Minister, but no arrest has been made yet. He said, “There is no hope of justice from this government,” and demanded that the case be investigated by the CBI.

Late on Saturday night, police booked Mr. Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar, and personal assistant Dilbag Singh under Sections 108 (abetment of suicide), 351(3) (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

[Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available from any of the numbers found in this link]