‘Decisive action’, ‘no matter what position’: Mann & Kejriwal laud ex-min’s arrest

Chandigarh: AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann hailed the arrest of their party's sacked Punjab minister, Laljit Singh Bhullar, in an abetment-to-suicide case on Monday. In a statement on X on Monday, shortly after Bhullar's arrest, Mann vowed that protecting anyone from legal consequences was not his party's agenda and pointedly emphasised a strict prohibition on "cash and special requests". Bhullar is accused of abetting the March 21 suicide of Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, a district manager of the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar. "For me, all of Punjab is one family. If anyone in Punjab violates the law, strict action will be taken against them, no matter what position they hold or whether they are a relative or someone influential. Protecting anyone is not our party's agenda. Cash and special requests (favouritism) are strictly prohibited," he wrote.Arvind Kejriwal, in a press statement, called the arrest a "decisive step", stating that when it came to justice, AAP did not hesitate to act even against its own. Taking to X, Kejriwal stated, "Recently, serious allegations were made against a minister in the AAP govt in Punjab. Our govt, without any delay or bias, took immediate action against that minister, not only removing him from his post but also ensuring his arrest."He added, "Some time ago, an ADGP in Haryana died by suicide. Serious allegations were made against several individuals, but the entire party and the govt there came out in support of the accused. This is the difference between the AAP and the BJP. BJP sacrifices justice to protect its own."A case was registered on Saturday night against Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar, and personal assistant Dilbag Singh under sections 108 (abetment of suicide), 351 (3) (criminal intimidation) and 3 (5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.Before he died by suicide, Bhullar had released a 12-second video and blamed Randhawa for taking the extreme step.BHULLAR DISMISSES ABSCONDING RUMOURSSacked Punjab minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, who is accused of abetting the suicide of state warehousing corporation official, said he was surrendering in Mandi Gobindgarh and dismissed rumours he had run away. "Rumours were being spread that I had run away; there is no truth to it. I will never run from the truth. I have full faith in the law of the country and also have unshakable faith in the justice system. I have not run away anywhere; I am in my Punjab. Believing in truth and justice, I am surrendering myself at Mandi Gobindgarh," Bhullar said in a Facebook post.