Chandigarh, March 21 Punjab Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar tendered his resignation from the state Cabinet on Saturday after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asked him to step down amid allegations of abetting the suicide of an official of the state warehousing corporation in Amritsar.
Bhullar, the MLA from Patti in Tarn Taran, rejected the allegations as baseless.
Mann said he has directed the chief secretary to conduct an investigation into the matter.
He said the minister was asked to step down for the sake of a fair investigation.
"What are the reasons behind it? It is a matter of investigation. Before conducting the investigation, we took the resignation from our cabinet minister so that no one could influence the investigation or put any pressure," Mann said, responding to reporters' queries about Bhullar's resignation.
Mann said no negligence will be tolerated in the matter, and Bhullar's portfolios of transport and prisons will be allocated to another minister.
On Saturday, a video surfaced on social media in which Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, the deceased manager, was heard saying that he had consumed some poisonous substance and accused Laljit Singh Bhullar of harassment.
Randhawa was also holding the additional charge of Patti.
In a Facebook post, Bhullar said his party always stands with the truth, so he wanted the allegations against him to be investigated properly.
"Until this investigation is completed, I request the party and our chief minister to accept my resignation from the minister's post. I am sending my resignation to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann so that this matter can be investigated properly," he said.
Earlier, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia alleged that Randhawa died by consuming Celphos.
Majithia also alleged that Randhawa named Bhullar before his death and that he was forced to admit accepting a Rs 10 lakh bribe.
The Akali leader alleged that Randhawa was pressured to award a tender to Bhullar's aide, but he chose a legitimate bidder instead.
The SAD leader alleged that Randhawa was called to Bhullar's place, assaulted, and attempts were made to record a video.
Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa termed the allegations against Bhullar as grave.
"Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, Manager of the Warehouse Corporation, Amritsar, committed suicide. Before his death, he accused the minister of pressuring him to admit accepting a Rs 10 lakh bribe, tender manipulation, assault, and coercion.
"I urge the Chief Justice of the Punjab & Haryana High Court to take suo motu cognizance and ensure justice," he said.