Amritsar (Punjab) [India], March 24 : BJP president Sunil Jakhar demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into the suicide of Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, district manager of the Punjab Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar, after he was allegedly tortured by AAP MLA Laljit Singh Bhullar.
Bhullar was arrested and forced to resign as Punjab Transport Minister after opposition parties demanded action against him.
Jakhar alleged that the state government had been using "all kinds of inducements, allurements, threats, and even intimidation, including in the name of gangsters, to threaten the children". Despite such pressures, he noted, the family of the deceased stood firm in seeking justice.
Jakhar told ANI, "When Amit Shah gave his statement, I would call it the Amit Shah effect and the fear of the CBI. The Aam Aadmi Party was forced to arrest Laljit Singh Bhullar. Bhagwant Mann and Kejriwal believe that if the CBI arrests him, many layers will be revealed."
He further urged the central government to order a CBI probe and investigate the entire matter.
"BJP strongly urges him to order a CBI inquiry and investigate the entire matter. The BJP stands with the entire family in this hour of grief, and we will continue to support them in their struggle," Jakhar added.
Punjab Police on Monday arrested Bhullar after registering an FIR in connection with the case. According to officials, charges related to abetment of suicide and threatening are being invoked. The arrest follows Bhullar's resignation, which was accepted by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann amid mounting political pressure.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigation), Amritsar, Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu, confirmed the arrest and said that the accused would be presented before a court. Meanwhile, protests have also been staged by the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation Union, demanding justice for Randhawa.
Furthermore, the issue also reached Parliament, where Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla raised the matter in the Lok Sabha, seeking a probe into the alleged wrongdoing by Bhullar. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said he was willing to transfer the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), provided that MPs from Punjab submit a formal request.
"This is a matter of the Punjab state. I request all the MPs from Punjab to write to me formally that the case be transferred to the CBI. I will do it immediately," Shah said in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Randhawa was allegedly tortured by Minister Bhullar and later died by suicide. The controversy erupted when Majithia and other leaders shared a purported video of Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, where he mentioned the minister.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor