Punjab’s political landscape trembled as Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar resigned following the suicide of Amritsar Warehousing Corporation manager Gagan Deep Singh Randhawa. Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla leveled explosive charges, painting a picture of brutality and coercion.
The 36-year-old officer ingested poison on Saturday dawn, leaving behind a video that has stunned the nation. Aujla recounted the sequence: a routine tender process turned nightmarish when Bhullar, leveraging family ties, bid unsuccessfully. Enraged, he allegedly lured Randhawa home, subjected him to verbal abuse, physical beating, and filmed the humiliation for leverage.
Intimidation escalated with gangster threats, shattering Randhawa’s resolve. He relocated his family for protection, then broadcast his plight online before ending his life with sulfas.
‘File an FIR under 302 for murder,’ Aujla urged, rejecting the suicide narrative. He described a climate of fear gripping Amritsar, where Bhullar’s influence allegedly silences witnesses.
Responding swiftly, CM Bhagwant Mann mourned the loss, vowed a thorough inquiry, and secured Bhullar’s cabinet exit to safeguard the process. ‘We won’t allow such tragedies,’ he stated firmly.
Akali Dal’s Bikram Majithia amplified the scandal on X, decrying the ‘torture’ that claimed a promising life.
As probes begin, this episode underscores the perils faced by public servants under political pressure, demanding systemic reforms for protection and transparency in governance.