The AAP had no escape route for his former minister now except to formally arrest him.
The further delay of his arrest could give more fuel to the opposition parties on the issue.
No post mortem yet.Family has yet to take a decision.
Raghbir Singh Brar
Faridkot
March 23,2026
The alleged arrest of the former minister Laljit Singh Bhullar from Mandi Gobindgarh has been contradicted by Bhullar himself posting on Facebook that he has surrendered voluntarily today.
“There are rumours that I am on the run which are not true.I am never about to run away from the truth.I have full faith in the judicial system of my country and I am willingly surrendered today at Mandi Gobindgarh,” Laljit Singh Bhullar posted on facebook,roughly translated from his post in Punjabi in brief.
So one thing is clear.Why so powerful minister of the AAP government who is allegedly close to the top brass run away?
But the AAP government, particularly its chief minister Bhagwant Mann could not have had an escape route instead of the registration of a case in this regard and make the formal arrest of his former minister.
Gagandeep Singh Randhawa,DM, Punjab warehousing corporation stationed at Amritsar,with an additional charge of Tarn Taran, allegedly consumed celphos on Saturday morning and posted an 11 minute video of his suicide.
Gagandeep was allegedly threatened,assaulted, made to shoot a video and he could not bear that humiliations.He allegedly informed his seniors,but little happened.The minister allegedly wanted to get huge favours from him that he had to violate the service rules.
After his suicide, the Amritsar police registered a case of abetment to suicide,criminal intimidation and other sections of BNSS when various political parties came out in his support cutting across the party lines.
Finrally, the police registered a case against Laljit Singh, his father Sukhdev Singh and his PA Dilbag Singh, as per media reports.
Despite the family’s resistance, the post mortem of the dead body of Gagandeep Singh could not be conducted.
After a huge pressure by the political parties and the simmering anger among the common man in Punjab, Bhullar has been finally arrested as claimed by the police, while Bhullar himself contradicts that he has surrendered.
The matter of the unfortunate suicide of the brilliant officer also was raised by Gurjeet Singh Aujla,Amritsar MP of congress and was further supported by Ravneet Singh Bittu in Parliament today.
Intervening significantly, Amit Shaw, the union home minister said that if all the MPs from the state in Rajya Sabha and Parliament submit him a statement in this regard,he would hand over the investigation to the CBI.
He also clarified that the matter is within the jurisdiction of the state though.
It has been learnt that four MPs have submitted their statement to the union HM Shaw demanding CBI Inquiry.
It has put pressure on the AAP to formally arrest Bhullar.If investigation,somehow goes to the CBI, it could be set back for the state government.The CBI may unearth allegedly a scandle into this episode.
The allegegations of the deceased also reflect how some of its powerfuls behave with the officers to win selfish gains.
In his repeated speeches,Bhagwant Singh had said that his supremo Arvind Kejriwal had asked him not to indulge corrupt practices, but”I said that every single rupee of the public corruption for me is equal to consume celphos,” Mann had repeatedly said in the past.But now, because of his minister,a DM had to end his life by consuming celphos.What would Mann tell the public.The voters may ask him this question when elections are there?
The approaching assembly elections are also a litmus test for the AAP,which rode on the anti SAD,INC sentiments, as a windfall,But now Mann would have to prove what has its government done.
From the political point of view, except CM Mann, the party is not in a good condition.
The people say that Bhagwant Mann may be good, but his high command and subordinates are allegedly corrupt.
The sudden rise of SAD and BJP making forages into the political system of Punjab and electors is a serious challenge for Mann.
However, the divided house of the congress suits him, but with Rahul Gandhi’s recent bashing off the top leaders indicates that the congress may not stay a divided house by then, the high command his authoritative now.
In such political scenario,Mann government could not at all spare his powerful minister.The rest is yet to be seen what way the investigation goes and if it is ensured that it is not influenced.
But we can say that just before the elections, other political parties would give a tough time to AAP government on this case.