Chandigarh, March 23 Laljit Singh Bhullar, a former Punjab minister and AAP MLA, who is accused of encouraging the suicide of a state warehousing corporation official, was arrested on Monday, sources said.
Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, the district manager of the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar, allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison early Saturday. A video emerged in which he purportedly claimed harassment by Bhullar, who subsequently resigned as minister later that day at the direction of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann amidst the controversy.
The police have booked Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar, and personal assistant Dilbag Singh under Sections 108 (abetting suicide), 351 (3) (criminal intimidation), and 3 (5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Earlier in the day, the family of Randhawa issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Punjab government to arrest him.
The family of Randhawa has already stated that they would not allow a post-mortem examination and cremation until Bhullar is arrested.
Speaking to the media in Amritsar on Monday, Randhawa's family expressed their displeasure at Bhullar not yet being arrested and demanded that he be arrested at the earliest.
"This is my ultimatum: if nothing is done within 24 hours, then I, along with my children (two daughters and a son), will come out on the streets," said Randhawa's wife, Upinder Kaur, who is a science teacher.
A purported CCTV footage surfaced on social media on Monday, showing Randhawa consuming a poisonous substance.
Opposition parties have already put pressure on the AAP government, demanding the arrest of the former minister.
