Threatened, held at gunpoint: Shocking claims emerge against Punjab minister in PWC officer suicide case

THe felo-de-se of a senior authorities ship's officer in Punjab has sent shockwaves crossways the say. On Friday, Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, district manager of the Punjab Warehousing Corporation (PWC), died by suicide after consuming a poisonous substance, but not before recording a video in which he blamed Punjab minister Laljit Singh Bhullar.“Kha layi ‘celphos’ tuhade yaar ne, minister Laljit Bhullar de dar ton. Hun nahi main bachda,” (Your friend has consumed Celphos out of fear of minister Laljit Bhullar. I will not survive now), Randhawa said in the clip, according to a PTI report.A day later, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann directed the chief secretary to conduct an impartial probe into the matter and asked the minister to step down to ensure a fair investigation.An FIR has been lodged against Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar, and his personal assistant Dilbagh Singh under Sections 108 (abetment of suicide), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.What are the claims made by his wife in the FIR?Randhawa’s wife, Upinder Kaur, has made serious allegations in the FIR, stating that her husband was constantly pressured by Bhullar to withdraw a tender.In her complaint, Kaur alleged that Bhullar initially pressured Randhawa to allot a warehouse tender to his father, Sukhdev Singh Bhullar, threatening him with violent consequences if he refused.Also Read: Punjab minister Laljit Bhullar resigns after warehousing DM ends lifeKaur further stated that her husband told her he was repeatedly pressured to award the tender to Bhullar’s father, even though doing so would have violated the rules. She claimed that he would often break down and felt helpless due to the threats.When the tender was eventually awarded to another party, Bhullar allegedly increased the pressure on Randhawa.According to Kaur, this was followed by further threats over WhatsApp calls, with Bhullar demanding that Randhawa cancel the tender and reissue it in his favour.Kaur also alleged that on March 13, Bhullar summoned Randhawa to his residence in Patti, where he humiliated and assaulted him. She claimed that Bhullar held him at gunpoint and forced him to admit that he had accepted a bribe of ₹10 lakh to award the tender to another party.A few days later, Randhawa consumed poison and died.Opposition slams AAP government in Punjab over the suicideOpposition parties have slammed Punjab’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, accusing it of creating a reckless law-and-order situation in the state where even government officers are no longer safe.BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the AAP government is indulging in crime and corruption in Punjab, adding that both Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann are busy protecting their minister.“Despite this video evidence, Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal are saving this minister because he shares a very close relationship with Kejriwal. They have merely taken his resignation for one or two months as a cosmetic measure, but are not allowing a free and fair probe. Nobody has faith in the Punjab government’s investigation. Bhagwant Mann and Kejriwal should answer why they are protecting him,” said Poonawalla.Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said, “The tragic death of an officer has once again laid bare the disturbing state of law and order under Bhagwant Mann’s government. When those entrusted to uphold the law appear to act with impunity, it raises a serious question: what sense of security is left for ordinary Punjabis?”He demanded that an FIR under murder charges be registered against Bhullar and that he be arrested immediately. “The case should be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation,” he added.Sukhbir Singh Badal, president of the 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 after enduring severe physical and mental harassment at the hands of the minister. He was also assaulted at the minister’s residence.”(With inputs from PTI and ANI)