Punjab minister resigns after government employee's suicide over alleged harassment
Punjab's Transport Minister, Laljit Singh Bhullar, resigned after Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, a manager at the state warehousing corporation, died by suicide on March 21.
In a video recorded before his death, Randhawa named Bhullar and said he had consumed poison out of fear of the minister.
Separately, Randhawa's handwritten letters and complaints alleged that Bhullar had pressured him to award contracts to Bhullar's father.
Police have now filed a first information report, or FIR, against Bhullar and others on charges that include abetment of suicide.
Case has put government accountability, workplace harassment in the spotlight
Randhawa's widow says he had received threats about their family's safety and is refusing an autopsy until action is taken.
The incident has triggered outrage across Punjab, with opposition leaders demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation probe and protests planned at the chief minister's residence.
The case has put government accountability and workplace harassment in the spotlight for many young professionals watching from the sidelines.