Chandigarh, March 11
Punjab Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar stepped down on Saturday after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directed him to resign. Bhullar, the Aam Aadmi Party legislator from Patti in Tarn Taran, was asked to quit following the alleged suicide of Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, District Manager of the Punjab Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar.
The controversy escalated after a video linked to Randhawa’s death surfaced, prompting the Chief Minister to accept Bhullar’s resignation and order an impartial probe. Mann instructed the Chief Secretary to ensure accountability, stressing that negligence would not be tolerated. The Transport portfolio remains vacant for now.
According to officials, a formal inquiry has been initiated into the circumstances surrounding Randhawa’s death and the possible role of the minister. Randhawa, who also held additional charge in Patti—Bhullar’s constituency—reportedly recorded a final video before consuming Celphos poison. In the clip, he accused Bhullar of harassment, alleging pressure to award a tender to the minister’s aide, demands for a ₹10 lakh bribe and even physical assault at Bhullar’s residence, where attempts were made to trap him in a compromising situation.
The incident has sparked sharp political backlash. Opposition leaders, including Congress MLA and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla and Shiromani Akali Dal leaders Sukhbir Badal and Bikram Majithia, amplified the allegations online. They demanded Bhullar’s immediate dismissal, registration of an FIR, preservation of Randhawa’s phone as evidence and a CBI investigation. They also questioned the AAP government’s claim of being “kattar imandaar” under Mann’s leadership.
