Former Punjab Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar Booked For Abetment Of Suicide

The political landscape in Punjab has been plunged into turmoil following the death of a senior Punjab State Warehousing Corporation (PSWC) official, which has now led to a high-profile criminal case against a former cabinet minister.

Former Transport and Jails Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar—who resigned from his post on Saturday under pressure from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann—has been formally booked for abetment of suicide. The charges follow the tragic death of a PSWC District Manager, who allegedly consumed a poisonous substance at his Amritsar residence on Friday.

The Accusations: Threats, Coercion, and Gunpoint Intimidation

The investigation, which has sparked nationwide headlines, is centered on a chilling complaint filed by the victim’s wife. According to the FIR lodged at Amritsar’s Ranjit Avenue police station, the former minister and his associates had been relentlessly hounding the official for months.

• The Tendering Dispute: The wife alleged that Bhullar had been pressuring her husband to bypass official procedures and award construction tenders for new godowns to his father, Sukhdev Singh Bhullar.
• Coerced Confessions: In a particularly disturbing detail, the complaint claims that on March 13, the minister summoned the official to his residence. There, the official was allegedly beaten and forced, at gunpoint, to read a scripted statement falsely confessing to taking a ₹10 lakh bribe.
• The Final Threat: The victim’s wife stated that her husband lived in constant fear, claiming Bhullar had threatened that if the tenders were not awarded to his family, the official’s children would “have to pay the price.”

Political Fallout: Opposition ‘Gherao’ and Police Crackdown

On Sunday, March 22, the political tension reached a boiling point in Chandigarh. In a rare display of unity, leaders from the Congress, BJP, and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) led a joint protest to ‘gherao’ Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s official residence.

• High-Stakes Confrontation: Heavy police contingents were deployed near the MLA Hostel to block the march. As protest leaders—including Partap Singh Bajwa, Sunil Jakhar, and Bikram Singh Majithia—attempted to scale the barricades, Chandigarh Police were forced to deploy water cannons to disperse the crowd.
• Unified Demand: The Opposition has made it clear that they will not halt their agitation until Bhullar is taken into custody. “We are united in this fight for justice,” said Partap Singh Bajwa, Leader of the Opposition.

Legal Status and Government Response

Despite the registration of the FIR under BNS Sections 109 (abetment), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), and 3(5) (common intention), Laljit Singh Bhullar, his father, and his PA Dilbag Singh remain at large.

While the CM has stated that his government maintains “zero tolerance for corruption” and that the law will take its course, critics are questioning the delay in arrests. Bhullar, for his part, has rejected the charges as “false and baseless,” maintaining that he resigned to facilitate a transparent probe.

Key Figures & Accused