Chandigarh, March 22
On Sunday, a massive showdown unfolded in Chandigarh as leaders from the BJP, Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and CPI were taken into custody while attempting to breach heavy police barricades during a joint protest outside the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s residence. Their united demand: the immediate arrest of former minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, accused of driving a senior state warehousing corporation official to suicide.
The controversy erupted after Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, district manager of the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar, allegedly consumed poison on Saturday. A video surfaced in which Randhawa claimed he was harassed by Bhullar. Within hours, Bhullar tendered his resignation at Mann’s direction but the opposition insisted resignation was not enough.
Late Saturday night, police registered a case against Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar and his aide Dilbag Singh under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including abetment of suicide, criminal intimidation and common intention.
In response, the opposition parties declared they would “gherao” the Chief Minister’s residence until Bhullar was arrested. Senior figures such as Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar and SAD leaders Bikram Singh Majithia and Daljit Singh Cheema spearheaded the protest.
A massive police deployment at the MLAs’ Hostel and barricades erected by Chandigarh police prevented the marchers from advancing. Yet the opposition remained defiant, demanding not only Bhullar’s arrest but also a CBI investigation into the circumstances surrounding Randhawa’s death.
Jakhar declared that the agitation would continue until justice was delivered to Randhawa’s family. Majithia criticized the government for failing to act swiftly, while Bajwa condemned the AAP administration for shielding Bhullar instead of arresting him immediately.
The standoff has now escalated into a full-blown political storm, with Punjab’s opposition parties presenting a rare united front against the ruling AAP government.
