CHANDIGARH: Former Punjab minister and AAP MLA Laljit Singh Bhullar was arrested on Monday in connection with the alleged abetment to suicide of a state warehousing corporation official, news agency PTI reported.Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, district manager of the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar, allegedly died by suicide after consuming poison early Saturday. A purported video surfaced in which he accused Bhullar of harassment. The development had triggered a political storm, following which Bhullar resigned as minister on the direction of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.Punjab Police had earlier registered a case against Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar, and his personal assistant Dilbag Singh under Sections 108 (abetment to suicide), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).The arrest comes after mounting pressure from the victim’s family, which had issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the government. The family had also refused to allow post-mortem and cremation until Bhullar was taken into custody.Speaking to the media in Amritsar, Randhawa’s wife, Upinder Kaur, expressed anger over the delay in action.“It is my ultimatum that if nothing is done within 24 hours, then I, along with my children (two daughters and a son), will come on the roads,” she said.Meanwhile, a purported CCTV video has surfaced on social media, allegedly showing Randhawa consuming a poisonous substance.The case has intensified political tensions in the state, with opposition parties targeting the AAP government and demanding swift action.(With agency inputs)
