Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has taken the resignation of Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar after allegations surfaced in connection with the suicide of a government officer identified as Gagandeep Singh Randhawa who was working as a District Manager with the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar.
Randhawa recorded a video of himself before consuming poison and later that video surfaced on social media, where in the clip he is seen making serious allegations against the minister, which are now under official investigation.
In the final video Randhawa allegedly accused the minister of repeated harassment linked to his official duties and even claimed that he was under pressure to allot a tender to minister’s father despite his refusal to bypass proper procedure in favour of a deserving bidder. He also alleged that he was asked to pay a bribe of around Rs 10 lakh and in the same video, he further claimed he was physically assaulted at the minister’s residence and that attempts were made to film him in a compromising situation.
These claims have not yet been independently verified and authorities have ordered a formal investigation to determine the facts behind the incident.
Acting quickly after the incident CM Mann accepted Bhullar’s resignation and directed the Chief Secretary to conduct a fair and impartial inquiry into the entire matter. The Chief Minister said that the government has a zero-tolerance policy towards negligence or misconduct and assured that accountability will be fixed regardless of the position held by any individual.
