Chandigarh, March 24 Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann virtually rejected the demand for a CBI investigation into the alleged suicide of an official in Amritsar, saying that the state police is capable of investigating the case fairly, and no one will be shielded.
He was responding to queries on Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement in the Lok Sabha on Monday that he would immediately order a CBI inquiry into the suicide by the warehousing corporation official, Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, if all Punjab MPs gave him a written request on the matter, after Congress MP Gurjit Singh Aujla raised the issue in the House.
Randhawa had in a video accused former Punjab minister Laljit Singh Bhullar of harassing him. Bhullar had resigned as minister on Saturday on Mann's direction and was arrested on Monday, amid opposition protests.
"We will conduct an investigation... the investigation will be carried out in a proper manner. The Punjab police is capable of carrying out the investigation," Mann told reporters when asked about Shah's statement on a CBI inquiry, which has been demanded by all major opposition parties in Punjab, as well as the family of Randhawa.
"An arrest has been made. His (Bhullar's) remand will be taken (after producing him in a court)," said the chief minister.
He said a chief secretary-level committee will inquire into the incident. "Whatever comes out of the probe, action will be taken as per law. If the involvement of any further conspirator is discovered, they will also be arrested," Mann said.
Bhullar, he pointed out, has already resigned from the state cabinet and has been arrested.
"We do not try to shield anyone. For me, Punjab is one family," said Mann.
The CM also countered the opposition parties by citing past incidents of suicides where he claimed the names of their senior leaders had cropped up during their regimes, and asked whether they had ever ordered a CBI probe or their leaders had resigned.
Mann mentioned the suicide by a Haryana ADGP rank officer and asked whether a CBI probe was ordered into his death. Only the Director General of Police was transferred, he said.
The Punjab chief minister was referring to the suicide of senior Haryana IPS officer Y Puran Kumar last October.
Taking a dig at the opposition parties, which held a joint protest against the AAP government, Mann said BJP leader Sunil Jakhar, Congress party's Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Partap Singh Bajwa and SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia came together "just to abuse him".
"Law and order is in control, only they (opposition leaders) are out of control. For them, this is the only issue," said Mann.
The Amritsar police booked Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar and personal assistant Dilbag Singh on Saturday night under Sections 108 (abetment of suicide), 351 (3) (criminal intimidation) and 3 (5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Mann had said on Monday that strict action will be taken against anyone who violates the law, irrespective of their position.