New Delhi, March 23
The Lok Sabha on Monday reverberated with demands for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the tragic suicide of Dr. Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, District Manager of the Punjab Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, responding to the uproar, assured the House that he would immediately transfer the case to the CBI once Punjab MPs submit a formal written representation.
The issue was first flagged during Zero Hour by Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aulja, who cited a video in which Randhawa allegedly named former Punjab minister Laljit Singh Bhullar as responsible for his extreme step. Shah, intervening, said, “If all MPs from Punjab submit the demand in writing, I will hand over the probe to the CBI without delay.”
Joining the chorus, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu condemned the state of affairs in Punjab, declaring, “In Punjab, there is the rule of goons, not the law.” He referred to video evidence purportedly showing Bhullar threatening Randhawa to award a warehousing contract to his father, allegedly warning that Randhawa’s daughter would be abducted if he refused. Bittu demanded immediate action to prevent Bhullar from leaving the country.
Both Congress and BJP MPs lashed out at the AAP-led Punjab government and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, accusing them of shielding Bhullar by merely seeking his resignation. Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia had earlier dismissed the state government’s response as “an eyewash,” reiterating the demand for a CBI investigation.
On the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, Bittu invoked the symbolism of justice, saying, “Randhawa’s daughters and his wife, Upinder Kaur, a teacher, demand justice. The House must not fail them.” He challenged AAP members to join the demand for a CBI probe.
Notably, Randhawa allegedly ended his life on Saturday, leaving behind a video that has ignited a political storm and sharpened calls for accountability at the highest levels.
