The arrest of former Punjab minister Laljit Singh Bhullar in connection with the suicide of a warehousing official has ignited a political firestorm, prompting calls for a CBI investigation and raising questions about government accountability.
An official of the warehousing corporation who died by suicide after accusing former Punjab minister Laljit Singh Bhullar of harassing him was cremated in Amritsar on Tuesday, with top opposition leaders from the state among those present.
Earlier in the day, the post-mortem examination of Gagandeep Singh Randhawa was conducted by a board of doctors under the supervision of an executive magistrate at the government medical college in Amritsar.
Randhawa's family had refused to cremate him till Bhullar was arrested.
The former minister, who has been booked for abetting suicide and on other charges, was arrested on Monday, amid protests by opposition leaders.
A police official said the autopsy was conducted on Tuesday after Randhawa's family agreed to it.
Randhawa, the district manager of Punjab State Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar, allegedly ended his life by consuming poison early Saturday. A video appeared in which he purportedly claimed harassment by Bhullar, who resigned as minister later in the day at the direction of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
The suicide by Randhawa triggered a political row with opposition parties taking on the Bhagwant Mann government and holding a joint protest, demanding the arrest of Bhullar and a CBI probe into the matter.
After the post-mortem examination early in the day, the mortal remains of Randhawa were taken to his residence in Amritsar, where mourners assembled to pay their last respects.
Randhawa's two daughters and a son lit the funeral pyre.
Prominent among those who attended the cremation were Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia.
The Amritsar police on Saturday night booked 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 (BNS).
Following Bhullar's arrest from Mandi Gobindgarh, Randhawa's family had on Monday demanded a CBI probe into the circumstances that led to the official's death.
In Delhi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah promised to immediately order a CBI inquiry into Randhawa's suicide if all Punjab MPs give him a written request on the matter.
However, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday virtually rejected the demand for a CBI investigation, saying the state police is capable of probing the case fairly and no one will be shielded.
In her complaint lodged with the police, Randhawa's wife, Upinder Kaur, had claimed that her husband was constantly pressured to allot a warehouse tender to Bhullar's father and that they had even threatened to harm him and his family.
According to the FIR, Randhawa was called to Bhullar's residence on March 13 in Patti, where he was allegedly humiliated and assaulted.