Chandigarh: Amid escalating political tensions over the alleged suicide of a Punjab Warehousing Corporation district manager, opposition parties announced a joint gherao of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s official residence in Chandigarh on Sunday.
Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar said the decision was taken collectively by opposition leaders, including Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, who have been camping at Ranjit Avenue police station in Amritsar since Saturday evening.
The leaders are demanding the registration of a criminal case against former minister Laljit Singh Bhullar in connection with the officer’s death. Despite Bhullar’s resignation earlier in the day, the opposition said it was not satisfied and insisted on his immediate arrest and a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Jakhar alleged that the state government had lost its moral authority to remain in power. He claimed that while earlier incidents of violence were linked to gangster activity, the current situation reflected pressure allegedly exerted by those in power on government officials.
The opposition has intensified its protest, signalling further political confrontation in the state as demands for accountability and an independent investigation grow louder.
