Prisons minister faces jail risk; first sitting minister booked by Punjab Police in criminal case
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ March 22,2026
After high drama, the Punjab Police on Saturday lodged an FIR number 0052 against Punjab’s Transport and Prisons Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar, and his personal assistant Dilbagh Singh in connection with the suicide of Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, District Manager of the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar.
The FIR was registered at 11:51 PM on Saturday, March 21, 2026, at Ranjit Avenue Police Station in Amritsar—nearly 17–18 hours after the suicide. It was filed based on a complaint by the deceased’s wife, Upinder Kaur, who accused the trio of sustained harassment, physical assault, mental torture, and coercion that allegedly drove her husband to take his own life.
According to police records, Laljit Singh Bhullar is listed as “Transport Minister, Punjab” under the permanent address column of the FIR. As per these records, he appears to be the first serving minister to be booked in connection with a criminal act of this nature. Earlier, ministers were booked by the Vigilance Bureau under corruption charges or other sections, but none had been booked in such a case.
Interestingly, the police have mentioned “UNKNOWN” under the permanent address column for the minister, his father, and his PA. This raises serious questions about the accuracy of official records and what Bhullar has achieved during his tenure.
Although Bhullar has tendered his resignation to the Chief Minister, the police seemed unaware of its official status, much like the general public, even 17–18 hours after the suicide and before the FIR was filed at 11:51 PM on March 21, 2026 as he is mentioned as Transport Minister, Punjab in the FIR.
Moreover, if he is arrested for abetment of suicide, he could become the first Prisons Minister to be jailed while holding charge of the department.
The police have registered the FIR under Section 108 (abetment of suicide, previously Section 306 IPC), Section 351(3) (aggravated criminal intimidation—previously Section 506(ii) IPC), and Section 3(5) (criminal liability for acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention—previously Section 34 IPC) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Inspector Robin Hans has been appointed as the Investigating Officer (IO) in the case.
Before his death, Randhawa recorded a 12-second video in which he blamed the former minister for forcing him to take the drastic step.
Earlier, the family of the deceased senior government official accused the minister of allegedly assaulting, slapping, and even striking Gagandeep Singh Randhawa with a pistol—actions they claim humiliated him to the extent that he took his own life.
