Punjab Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar resigned from the Aam Aadm Party (AAP) government on Saturday (March 21, 2026) after his name surfaced in connection with the death of a state warehouse corporation official who died by suicide, even as opposition parties intensified their protests against the government being accused of murder and for the minister to be investigated.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said an inquiry has been ordered into the matter and appropriate action will follow. “The minister has been asked to resign for the sake of a fair investigation,” he said in response to a question at a press conference.
A purported video linked to the alleged suicide of Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, the district manager of Punjab Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar, showed Randhawa accusing Mr. Laljit Singh Bhullar, an AAP minister, of harassment by pressuring him to give an offer to the minister’s associate before being consumed.
The Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party cornered the AAP government on the issue.
Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa of the Congress Party said: “The tragic death of the officer has once again exposed the alarming state of law and order under the Bhagwant Mann government. When those charged with upholding the law seem to act with impunity, it raises a serious question: what sense of security is left for ordinary Punjabis?” He demanded that an FIR be registered against Mr. Bhullar on charges of murder and he should be arrested immediately. “The case should be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation,” he added.
BJP State President Sunil Jakhar said that the Chief Minister no longer has a moral reason to continue in power. “Earlier, people in Punjab were losing their lives for not paying ransom and facing ‘gangster raj’, but now even government officials have been forced to take their lives for allegedly not fulfilling the demands of ministers,” he said.
Demanding immediate registration of a police case and arrest of the minister, Mr. Jakhar expressed surprise at the chief minister’s announcement that the investigation would be handed over to the chief secretary, an inquiry since the chief secretaries started investigating the murder cases.
Sukhbir Singh Badal, president of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), said, “I want to ask Bhagwant Mann, will the resignation of your minister Laljit Bhullar bring Punjab State Warehousing Corporation District Manager Gagandeep Singh Randhawa back to his grieving family? The officer died because he endured severe physical and mental hardships at the har. Minister’s residence.”
“The minister must be charged with murder and the investigation should be immediately handed over to the CBI for a fair and impartial investigation,” he added.
Published – 22 March 2026 02:15 IST
