Police use cannons to disperse protesters as they tried to force their way through barricades to ‘gherao’ Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s residence during a joint stir to demand the arrest of former Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Former Minister in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, Laljit Singh Bhullar, was arrested on Monday (March 23, 2026) in connection with the death of a State warehousing corporation official, who allegedly died by suicide last week.
Mr. Bhullar was arrested from Mandi Gobindgarh in Fatehgarh Sahib district, Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh told media persons in Amritsar. He will be produced in a court on Tuesday.
Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, district manager of the Punjab Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar, allegedly died by suicide on Saturday after consuming what appeared to be a poisonous substance as seen in a purported video linked to the incident. In the video, Randhawa had accused Mr. Bhullar of harassing him by pressuring to award a tender to the former Minister’s aide.
The Opposition parties asserted that the arrest came following the pressure built by them on the AAP government, even as the AAP claimed credit for its decisive action against its own Minister in the interest of justice.
Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa (Congress) said the AAP government had been forced to climb down from the high horse it was riding and arrest its own former Minister following sustained pressure from the opposition.
CBI probe suggestion
Mr. Bajwa claimed that action against the former Minister came only after Union Home Minister Amit Shah indicated that a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry would be ordered into the matter. He said Congress MPs — Charanjit Singh Channi, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Gurjeet Singh Aujla and Dr. Dharamvira Gandhi — forcefully raised the issue in Parliament.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers and leaders staged protests at several district headquarters in Punjab, demanding that the investigation against Mr. Bhullar be handed over to the CBI. BJP State president Sunil Jakhar alleged “The AAP government does not want the case to go to the CBI because, if that happens, several layers involving AAP leaders, including those from Delhi, would be exposed, and it would reveal where the money collected by ministers like Mr. Bhullar was being sent.”
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia, meanwhile, demanded that the post-mortem of Randhawa should be conducted at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research or by a panel of All India Institute of Medical Sciences doctors to ensure fair play.
AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal in a post on ‘X’, said “Recently, serious allegations were made against a Minister in the AAP government in Punjab. Our government took immediate action against that Minister without any delay or discrimination, not only removing him from his position but also getting him arrested.”
Hitting out at the BJP, Mr. Kejriwal said that when it came to justice, the AAP did not hesitate to take action even against a Minister in its own government, while the BJP sacrificed justice itself to protect its own people.
The Punjab Police have booked Mr. Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar, and personal assistant Dilbag Singh, under Sections 108 (abatement of suicide), 351 (3) (criminal intimidation) and 3 (5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita.
Those in distress or having suicidal tendencies can seek help and counselling by calling: Sanjivini, Society for Mental Health, telephone: 011-40769002
Published – March 23, 2026 08:40 pm IST
