Chandigarh: The Punjab government officially reassigned the ministerial portfolios of former Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar. Following an official gazette notification, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has personally taken charge of the Transport and Jails departments. This administrative shift follows Bhullar’s resignation and subsequent arrest in connection with the high-profile suicide case of an Amritsar-based government official.
The reallocation was necessitated by the sudden exit of Bhullar, who stepped down on Saturday at the Chief Minister’s directive to ensure an impartial investigation. Bhullar, the AAP MLA from Patti, was arrested earlier on Monday afternoon from Mandi Gobindgarh in Fatehgarh Sahib district. He faces serious charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for abetment of suicide and criminal intimidation following the death of Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, a District Manager with the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation.
By taking direct control of these sensitive departments, CM Mann aims to signal administrative stability and a “zero-tolerance” policy toward the harassment of state officials. The Chief Minister had previously stated that the resignation was essential so that no one in a position of power could influence the ongoing probe led by Chief Secretary KAP Sinha. The development comes amidst intense political pressure from opposition parties, including Congress and SAD, who have been demanding a CBI inquiry into the circumstances that led the official to take his own life.
