Sukhpal Singh Khaira, a senior Congress MLA, tore open a quiet Sector 39 bungalow when he posted a tweet on 27 September 2026, calling out Gayatri Bishnoi for allegedly occupying the official residence of Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh. Bishnoi replied that she was staying with her parents because her father was undergoing treatment, and she denied any wrongdoing. The tweet, which highlighted Hno 961, sparked a flurry of commentary across social media and in the Punjab Assembly.
Bikram Singh Majithia of the Shiromani Akali Dal joined the chorus, demanding a review of electricity and water bills and questioning whether the adjoining Hno 960, owned by Manish Sisodia, was connected through a hidden gate. Meanwhile, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring called for the removal of unauthorised occupants and the recovery of penal rent, while Congress advocate Gurpratap Singh Gill filed a formal request for an independent inquiry into Houses 926, 960 and 961. The request calls for a review of allotment files, occupancy logs, security data and CCTV footage.
The Enforcement Directorate has already opened a probe into the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), where House No. 926 in Sector 39 was flagged for possible misuse by a former Delhi minister from the AAP. This development raises questions about the broader framework governing the allocation of ministerial bungalows in Chandigarh. The Punjab Chief Minister’s office now faces pressure to produce a clear record of all official allottees, actual occupants and rent payments, or risk a constitutional audit.
For patients from Punjab who travel to Chandigarh for treatment, the controversy threatens to turn the city’s government residences into a political battlefield. A resident who had to stay in a bungalow for a week to recover from surgery is now cautiously watching the proceedings, hoping the inquiry will restore fairness. The next step, according to the Punjab Finance Minister, will be a parliamentary committee hearing scheduled for 12 October 2026, where the allegations will be scrutinised in detail.