Opposition seeks arrest of AAP leader in Punjab

Opposition parties in Punjab on Sunday (March 22, 2026) pressured the ruling Aam Aadmi Party to arrest its senior leader Laljit Singh Bhullar, who resigned as a Cabinet Minister after his name surfaced in connection with the death of a State warehousing company official who died by suicide.

Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, regional manager of Punjab Storage Corporation in Amritsar, allegedly died by suicide in the early hours of Saturday after consuming what appeared to be a poisonous substance, as seen in a video allegedly linked to the incident. In the video, Mr Randhawa had accused Mr Bhullar of harassing him by pressuring him to award the contract to the Minister’s assistant.

Demanding the immediate arrest of the minister, the family of the deceased said that they will not perform the last rites and will not allow an autopsy until the suspect is arrested. “We want justice,” said Upinder Kaur, wife of the deceased, while speaking to media persons in Amritsar. She said her husband was humiliated, assaulted and forced to confess that he had taken a bribe of ₹10 lakh when he was summoned to the Minister’s residence in Patti. “This happened on March 13. Unable to bear this torture, my husband committed suicide,” she claimed.

“My husband was being pressured by Bhullar to manipulate a warehouse tender,” she added.

In Chandigarh, opposition parties, including the Indian National Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiromani Akali Dal, staged a mass demonstration against the AAP government as they tried to ‘gherao’ the residence of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Police used water cannon to disperse agitated members and leaders of political parties who were marching towards ‘gherao’, the Prime Minister’s residence. Political parties staged a joint agitation to press for the arrest of the Minister.

Leader of Opposition and Congress Leader Partap Singh Bajwa said that serious allegations have emerged of illegal confinement and extortion of the deceased. “The facts clearly reveal cognizable offenses and the law must take action without delay or dilution,” he said. He also sought the application of the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Mr Bhullar for allegedly abusing his official position to coerce a public servant into committing illegal acts.

Bikram Singh Majithia of Shiromani Akali Dal said, “AAP Minister’s hooliganism, corruption and gangster threats pushed a talented officer to death and even on such a serious issue, all opposition parties needed to unite and raise their voices for justice.”

He demanded the immediate arrest of the accused and the transfer of the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Sunil Jakhar, president of the Punjab unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party, said that after strong opposition from the public, the AAP government was forced to file a case against the Minister last night but no arrest has been made yet. “There is no hope of justice from this government,” he said and demanded that the case be investigated by the CBI.

Late on Saturday night, police arrested Mr Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar and his personal assistant Dilbag Singh under Section 108 (abetment to suicide), 351(3) (criminal threat) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

[Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available from any of the numbers found in this link]