A 66-year-old man died of an apparent cardiac arrest on Friday after waiting over two hours in a queue at an LPG gas agency in Punjab's Barnala district, in an incident that has drawn sharp political reaction and spotlight on growing consumer anxiety over fuel supply disruptions.

The deceased, Bhushan Kumar Mittal, arrived at a gas agency in the Shehna block of Barnala district around 8 am to collect an LPG cylinder. Allotted token number 25, he waited in the queue for nearly two hours before collapsing around 10 am, reportedly sitting on a gas cylinder out of exhaustion. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. Preliminary reports indicate cardiac arrest as the likely cause of death.

The tragedy unfolded against the backdrop of mounting public anxiety over LPG availability in parts of Punjab, fuelled by ongoing disruptions to the booking system and concerns linked to the West Asia conflict. Despite assurances from gas agencies and district administrations that domestic cylinder supplies remain unaffected — with only commercial supplies reduced by 20 per cent — consumers continue to crowd agencies in large numbers.

Congress leader Sukhwinder Singh Dhaliwal from the Bhadaur constituency held the Central Government responsible, describing Mittal as a daily wage earner who supported his family through hard work. Dhaliwal demanded financial compensation from both the Centre and the Punjab Government for the bereaved family.

Mittal's son, Dev Raj, confirmed that postmortem arrangements were being made.