Simranjit Singh Mann (born 20 May 1945)[1] is a former Indian Police Service officer and a former Member of the Parliament in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India, representing the constituency of Sangrur since 2022. He lost elections in 2024 and Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer became new member of parliament. He is the president of the political party Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar). Mann has served three-times as an MP; once from Taran Tarn between 1989 and 1991, and twice from Sangrur between 1999-2004 and since 2022.[2][3][4] He is a known Khalistani supporter and his party is known for their pro-Khalistan stances.[5][6][7]

Simranjit Singh Mann
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
26 June 2022 – 4 June 2024
Preceded byBhagwant Mann
Succeeded byGurmeet Singh Meet Hayer
ConstituencySangrur
In office
6 October 1999 – 13 May 2004
Preceded bySurjit Singh Barnala
Succeeded bySukhdev Singh Dhindsa
ConstituencySangrur
In office
2 December 1989 – 13 March 1991
Preceded byTarlochan Singh Tur
Succeeded bySurinder Singh Kairon
ConstituencyTarn Taran
President of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)
Assumed office
1 May 1994
Member of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee
In office
1996–2011
ConstituencyBassi Pathana
Personal details
Born (1945-05-20) 20 May 1945 (age 79)
Shimla, Punjab, British India
(present-day Himachal Pradesh, India)
Political partyShiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)
Other political
affiliations
Shiromani Akali Dal (until 1991)
SpouseGeetinder Kaur Mann
Children3 (Including Emaan Singh Mann)
Parent(s)Sardar Joginder Singh Mann and Sardarni Gurbachan Kaur
EducationB.A. (honours) (gold medalist)
Alma materGovt. College, Chandigarh
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionAgriculturist & Police Officer

Early life

Simranjit Singh Mann was born in Shimla on 20 May 1945.[1] His father Joginder Singh Mann, was a speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in 1967.[8]

Mann was educated at the Bishop Cotton School, Shimla and Government College Chandigarh. He was a gold medalist in the subjects of history, Punjabi language, religion and political science.[1]

Indian Police Service

Mann joined the Indian Police Service in 1967, and served in the Punjab Cadre of the Service.[1]

He served as Aide-de-camp (ADC) to the Governor of Punjab. He was also posted as a police officer in several districts.[9] He served in several positions, including ASP Ludhiana City, Addl. SP Ferozepur, SP Hoshiarpur, SSP Faridkot, AIG GRP Punjab-Patiala division, Deputy Director of Vigilance Bureau Chandigarh, Deputy Inspector General of Punjab Armed Police, and DIG (Group Commandant) of CISF, Bombay.[1]

He resigned from Indian Police Service on 18 June 1984 in protest of Operation Blue Star.[1][9] In July 1984 he was dismissed from IPS.[1][clarification needed]

Political career

He was charged with the conspiracy to assassinate Indira Gandhi. He was arrested on 29 November 1984 and spent five years in Bhagalpur prison.[1]

He was elected as the president of the new party United Shiromani Akali Dal.[1]

Due to his 1984 Political involvements he won 1989 Lok sabha elections from Tarn Taran (Lok Sabha constituency) in absentia with their 6 other candidates on Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) ticket and 3 other candidates also won backed by them.[10] Afterwards he won 1999 Lok Sabha elections from Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency. He also won 1996, 2004 SGPC elections from Bassi Pathana.[10]

Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha

1989–1991

He was elected in absentia to the Lok Sabha representing the constituency of Tarn Taran by an overwhelming majority, and unconditionally released "in the interests of the State" in November 1989, with all charges dropped. By this time he had spent five years in prison.[11]

In 1990, Mann insisted on bearing his Kirpan (small sword) into the Parliament session, a religious rite in the Sikh Faith. The security regulations of the Parliament did not allow arms into the house. Accordingly, was denied entry into the Sansad Bhavan (Parliament house) with the weapon. Mann decided to not attend the Parliament.[12] He subsequently resigned his seat in protest.[13]

1999-2004

On 3 November 1999, after Mann was elected to the Lok Sabha by winning in the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency, the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered the Government of India and the Passport Office in Chandigarh to issue a passport to him.[14]

On 23 March 2004, Prakash Singh Badal accused Mann of running derogatory ads against him and indulging in character assassination.[15]

He contested for re-election in the 2004 Indian general election from Sangrur constituency but lost the election and came on third position.

He remained the president of the SAD (Amritsar) party for eighteen years. In the 2007 Punjab Legislative Assembly election SAD (Amritsar) contested on 60 seats. Radical organization Dal Khalsa (International) had supported candidates of SAD (Amritsar). Mann had contested from Dhanaula Assembly constituency and his son Emaan Singh Mann contested from Sirhind. All the 60 candidates including Mann lost the election with big margins. Most candidates of SAD (Amritsar) had lost their security deposit in the election. Mann offered to resign after his party's poor performance.[9]

2022-2024

In the 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly election, he lost to Jaswant Singh Gajjanmajra of the Aam Aadmi Party in the Amargarh Assembly Constituency.[16]

In June 2022, he won the by-poll for the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency vacated by then MP, Bhagwant Mann, who went to become Chief Minister of Punjab, Mann won the election by a margin of 5,822 votes. During the election he campaigned for the release of Sikh prisoners.[17][18][19] His grandson was in-charge of his election campaign.[20]

In August 2022, he objected to President Droupadi Murmu being referred to as the name "Rashtrapati". He said, "I strongly believe Rashtrapati word is an insult to a woman President." His comments were expunged from the records of the parliament.[21] He asked for elections in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex religious body of Sikhs.[22]

He lost the Sangrur seat in 2024 General elections to Meet Hayer of Aam Aadmi Party.[23]

Political positions

Khalistan

Mann is a proponent of Sikh nation state Khalistan.[17] Under his leadership, his party SAD (A) continued its position of creating Khalistan as a buffer state between India and Pakistan. Under him, SAD (A) continued spreading the ideology of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.[1]

Every year his supporters gather in the sacred Golden Temple and raise pro-Khalistan slogans. He dedicated his 2022 Lok Sabha election victory to the Khalistan separatist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.[17][24]

On 20 March 2023, Mann's Twitter account was blocked in India. Mann had tweeted condemning the Punjab Police's operation against separatist leader Amritpal Singh and the arrest of his supporters.[25][26]

Bhagat Singh

In 2007, Mann had called freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, a "petty terrorist". A lawsuit was filed against him, but the prosecution failed to prove its case and he was acquitted by the civil court in 2013. After his release, Mann said, "My acquittal has vindicated my words that Bhagat Singh was a terrorist and not a martyr."[27]

In 2015, he objected to naming the Chandigarh airport after Bhagat Singh and called him a terrorist. He had said, "Bhagat Singh is neither a martyr nor a national hero. He is a terrorist. We are against the naming of Chandigarh International airport as Shaheed-E-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh Airport."[28]

In 2022, he called Bhagat Singh "a terrorist" involved in "terror activities in pre-Independent India".[29] AAP leaders condemned the statement and asked him to apologize.[30][31] Residents of Khatkar Kalan, Bhagat Singh's native village protested near the Bhagat Singh Museum, shouted slogans of "Death to Simranjit Singh Mann", hit his effigy with shoes and burnt it.[32]

General Reginald Dyer

In 1919, after General Reginald Dyer's Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Mann's maternal grandfather Arur Singh, then sarbarah (in-charge) of the Golden Temple had honoured General Dyer with a "siropa" at Akal Takht. Singh was a British government appointee. Arur Singh's act hurt Sikh psyche and is considered a "Black chapter" in Sikh history. In July 2022, Mann defended the act of his grandfather saying he did it to pacify Dyer's anger.[33]

Family

Mann is married to Geetinder Kaur,[34] who is a sister of Preneet Kaur, the wife of former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh.[35] The couple have a son and two daughters.[1][36][37][12]

Electoral performance

1989 Indian general election: Tarn Taran
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SAD(A) Simranjit Singh Mann 527,707 88.1
INC Ajit Singh Mann 47,290 7.9
Independent Jaltar Singh Mehlanwala 5,234 0.9
Majority 480,417 80.2
Turnout 599,322 63.6%
Registered electors 942,162
SAD(A) gain from SAD Swing
General Election 1996: Sangrur
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SAD Surjit Singh Barnala 238,131 31.4
SAD(A) Simranjit Singh Mann 162,479 21.4
CPI(M) Chand Singh Chopra 156,770 20.7
INC Gurcharan Singh Dadhaboor 140,877 18.6
Majority 75,652 10.0
Turnout 757,827 71.6
SAD gain from INC Swing
Punjab Assembly election, 1997: Qila Raipur[38]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SAD Parkash Singh Badal 38,532 44.74
CPI(M) Tarsem Jodhan 27500 31.93
SAD(A) Simranjit Singh Mann 15377 17.85
INC Jagdev Singh Jassowal 4716 5.48
Majority
Turnout 86125 71.54
Registered electors
SAD gain from CPI(M) Swing
General Election 1998: Sangrur
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SAD Surjit Singh Barnala 297,393 39.8  8.40
SAD(A) Simranjit Singh Mann 215,228 28.8  7.40
INC Gurcharan Singh Dadhaboor 187,711 25.1  6.10
CPI(M) Chand Singh Chopra 35,380 4.7  16.00
Majority 82,165 11.0  1.00
Turnout 7,47,116 66.4  5.20
SAD hold


General Election 1999: Sangrur
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SAD(A) Simranjit Singh Mann 298,846 41.7  12.90
SAD Surjit Singh Barnala 212,529 29.7  0.90
CPI(M) Ajit Singh 190,824 26.6  21.90
Independent Nirmal Singh 5,738 0.80 N/A
Majority 86,317 12.1  1.10
Turnout 7,16,182 62.5  3.90
SAD(A) gain from SAD Swing


General Election 2004: Sangrur
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SAD Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa 286,828 34.2  4.50
INC Arvind Khanna 259,551 31.0 N/A
SAD(A) Simranjit Singh Mann 216,898 25.9  
BSP Mangat Rai Bansal 38,215 4.6 N/A
Independent Sukhdev Singh Bari 14,289 1.7 N/A
Independent Mohamad Shamshad 8,872 1.1 N/A
Majority
Turnout =
SAD gain from SAD(A) Swing
Assembly election, 2007: Dhanaula[39][40]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
INC Kuldip Singh Bhathal 42,105
SAD Gobind Singh Longowal 38581
SAD(A) Simranjit Singh Mann 16303
Independent Rajwinder Kaur Rozzy Bhathal 5869
BSP Karnail Singh Dulet 3411
CPI(ML)L Labh Singh Aklia 1569
Turnout 107838
General Election 2009: Sangrur
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
INC Vijay Inder Singla 358,670 38.52
SAD Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa 3,17,798 34.13
LBP Balwant Singh Ramoowalia 115,012 12.35
BSP Mohmad. Jamil-Ur-Rehman 69,943 7.51
SAD(A) Simranjit Singh Mann 33,714 3.62
Majority 40,872 4.39
Turnout 931,200 74.41
INC gain from SAD Swing -14.06
Punjab Assembly election, 2012: Fatehgarh Sahib
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
INC Kuljit Singh Nagra 58,205 46.65
SAD Prem Singh Chandumajra 33035 29.62
PPoP Didar Singh Bhatti 32065 28.75
SAD(A) Simranjit Singh Mann 3234 2.9
Independent Harbans Lal 2163 1.94
BSP Tarlochan Singh 1748 1.57
Majority 3538 3.17
Turnout 111529 84.45
Registered electors 149,715 [41]
INC win (new seat)
General Election 2014: Khadoor Sahib
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SAD Ranjit Singh Brahmpura 467,332 43.4  4.52
INC Harminder Singh Gill 3,66,763 35.2  10.83
AAP Baldeep Singh 1,66,763 12.25 New
SAD(A) Simranjeet Singh Mann 13,990 New
Margin of victory 1,00,569  0.22
Turnout 10,40,622 66.56  4.08
SAD hold Swing
Assembly election, 2017: Barnala[42]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
AAP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer 47,606 35.49
INC Kewal Singh Dhillon 45,174 33.67
SAD Surinder Pal Singh Sibia 31,111 23.19
SAD(A) Simranjit Singh Mann 5,061 3.77
BSP Paramjit Kaur 2,369 1.77
NOTA None of the above 889 0.66
Registered electors 171,962 [41]
AAP gain from INC
General Election 2019: Sangrur
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
AAP Bhagwant Mann 413,561 37.40  11.07
INC Kewal Singh Dhillon 303,350 27.43  9.93
SAD Parminder Singh Dhindsa 263,498 23.83  5.40
SAD(A) Simranjit Singh Mann 48,365 4.37
LIP Jasraj Singh Longia 20,087 1.82
NOTA None of the Above 6,490 0.59  0.39
Majority 1,10,211 9.97  10.46
Turnout 11,07,256 72.40
AAP hold Swing  10.5
Assembly Election, 2022: Amargarh
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
AAP Jaswant Singh Gajjanmajra 44,523 34.28  
SAD(A) Simranjit Singh Mann 38480 29.63  
SAD Iqbal Singh Jhundan 26068 20.07  
INC Smit Singh[43] 16923 13.03  
PLC Sardar Ali 1342 1.03 New
NOTA None of the above 595 0.46  
Majority 6043 4.65  
Turnout 129868 77.95
Registered electors 165,909 [44]
AAP gain from INC
2022 By-election: Sangrur[45]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SAD(A) Simranjit Singh Mann 253,154 35.61  31.24
AAP Gurmail Singh 247,332 34.79  2.61
INC Dalvir Singh Goldy 79,668 11.21  16.22
BJP Kewal Singh Dhillon 66,298 9.33 New
SAD Bibi Kamaldeep Kaur Rajoana 44,428 6.25  17.58
NOTA None of the Above 2471 0.35
Majority 6,245 0.88
Turnout 7,10,919 45.3%  27.1
Registered electors 15,69,240 [46]
SAD(A) gain from AAP Swing  16.92


General Election 2024: Sangrur
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
AAP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer 364,085 36.06  1.27
INC Sukhpal Singh Khaira 1,91,525 18.97  7.76
SAD(A) Simranjit Singh Mann 1,87,246 18.55  17.06
BJP Arvind Khanna 1,28,253 12.70  3.37
SAD Iqbal Singh Jhundan 62,488 6.19  0.06
NOTA None of the Above 3,820 0.38  0.03
Majority 1,72,560  17.09  16.21
Turnout 10,09,665
Registered electors 15,56,601
AAP gain from SAD(A) Swing  1.27

See also

  1. Parkash Singh Badal
  2. Captain Amarinder Singh

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)". Akalidalamritsar.net. Archived from the original on 1 February 2011.
  2. ^ "Rediff on the NeT: The Rediff Election Interview/ Simranjit Singh Mann". Rediff News. 26 October 1999. Archived from the original on 21 February 2008.
  3. ^ "Sangrur Bypoll Results Live: AAP loses Bhagwant Mann's seat, SAD-A wins by 6,800 votes". Hindustan Times. 26 June 2022. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022.
  4. ^ "AESL Chemistry Lecture Plans - Google Drive".
  5. ^ "Khalistan ideologue in police net". The Indian Express. 9 March 2006. Archived from the original on 20 February 2007.
  6. ^ "Pro-Khalistan slogans raised at Golden Temple". Thaindian.com. Archived from the original on 27 August 2009.
  7. ^ Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. "India: Whether members of the Akali Dal (Mann) / Akali Dal (Amritsar) party are harassed and arrested for participating in party gatherings, for publicly complaining about the treatment of Sikhs by Indian authorities or for calling for the creation of Khalistan (separate homeland for Sikhs); whether police regard members of the Akali Dal (Mann) party with suspicion and monitor them for signs of any links with terrorism (2005–2008) (15 April 2008, IND102547.E)". UNHCR. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012.
  8. ^ "Ace shooter & MP. Who is this?". Rediff News. Archived from the original on 8 March 2009.
  9. ^ a b c "Mann resigns from party after defeat in Punjab elections". PunjabNewsline.com. 1 March 2007. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011.
  10. ^ a b Simranjit Singh Mann: Ex-cop who refuses to give up. "Simranjit Singh Mann: Ex-cop who refuses to give up".
  11. ^ "Book review: Stolen Years – A Memoir of Simranjit Singh Mann's Imprisonment". The Indian Express. 27 September 2014. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015.
  12. ^ a b "It's from father to son in Punjab". Rediff News. 9 February 2002. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012.
  13. ^ Crossette, Barbara (29 December 1990). "Premier of India meets Sikh leader". New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022.
  14. ^ Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (15 April 2008). "India: Whether members of the Akali Dal (Mann) / Akali Dal (Amritsar) party are harassed and arrested for participating in party gatherings, for publicly complaining about the treatment of Sikhs by Indian authorities or for calling for the creation of Khalistan (separate homeland for Sikhs); whether police regard members of the Akali Dal (Mann) party with suspicion and monitor them for signs of any links with terrorism (2005-2008)". United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012.
  15. ^ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Punjab". The Tribune (India). 23 March 2004. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022.
  16. ^ "Amargarh Election Results 2022 Live: Smit Singh Mann vs Jaswant Singh Gajjanamajra vs Ikabar Singh Jhoonda". Financialexpress. Archived from the original on 10 March 2022.
  17. ^ a b c "Simranjit Mann: Khalistan advocate back in Parliament after two decades". The Economic Times. 27 June 2022. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022.
  18. ^ The Hindu (26 June 2022). "With Sangrur bypoll win, Simranjit Singh Mann makes a comeback". Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  19. ^ "Explained: 5 reasons why Simranjit Singh Mann defeated AAP in Sangrur, CM Bhagwant Mann's bastion". The Indian Express. 26 June 2022.
  20. ^ "Behind Simranjit Singh Mann's bypoll campaign, grandson born a year before he last won election". The Indian Express. 4 July 2022.
  21. ^ "MP Simranjit Singh Mann's objection to addressing Droupadi Murmu as 'Rashtrapati' expunged from records". Deccan Herald. 31 July 2022.
  22. ^ "SAD (A) holds protest to demand SGPC elections". Hindustan Times. 15 September 2022.
  23. ^ "Sangrur election results 2024 live updates: AAP's Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer wins". The Times of India. 4 June 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  24. ^ "Simranjit Singh Mann stokes row, dedicates Sangrur win to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale: Know about pro-Khalistan leader". Firstpost. 27 June 2022. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022.
  25. ^ "Sangrur MP's Twitter account withheld". Hindustan Times. 20 March 2023.
  26. ^ Menon, Aditya (20 March 2023). "Amritpal Singh Crackdown: Several Sikh Twitter Accounts Withheld on Govt Orders". TheQuint.
  27. ^ "SAD leader Mann acquitted in 65th sedition case". Hindustan Times. 11 June 2013. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022.
  28. ^ Ch, india today digital. "Akali Dal leader calls Bhagat Singh a terrorist". India Today. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022.
  29. ^ "AAP slams Simranjit Singh for calling Bhagat Singh a 'terrorist'". The Statesman. 15 July 2022. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022.
  30. ^ "Punjab: SAD leader Simranjit Singh Mann courts controversy with 'terrorist' remark on Bhagat Singh". Free Press Journal. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022.
  31. ^ "Punjab MP Walks Into Controversy Over Bhagat Singh "Terrorist" Comment". NDTV.com. 15 July 2022. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022.
  32. ^ "People of Bhagat Singh's native village Khatkar Kala shouted slogans of Murdabad by hitting the effigy of Simranjit Singh Mann with shoes & burnt the effigy near Bhagat Singh Museum". Twitter. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  33. ^ "Simranjit Singh Mann defends grandfather who honoured General Reginald Dyer". Tribuneindia News Service. 16 July 2022.
  34. ^ "Door-to-door canvassing by candidates' wives, women kin The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – mad". The Tribune (India). Archived from the original on 22 April 2009. Mann's wife Geetinder Kaur Mann has been campaigning for the SAD (A) candidate
  35. ^ "Mandarins who rule Punjab". The Indian Express. 2 February 2003. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022.
  36. ^ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – Punjab". The Tribune (India). Archived from the original on 5 November 2008.
  37. ^ "SAD(Amritsar) leaders level serious allegations on Daljit Singh Bittu". PunjabNewsline.com. 30 November 2007. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  38. ^ "Punjab General Legislative Election 1997". Election Commission of India. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  39. ^ "Mann to contest from Dhanaula". The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Punjab. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  40. ^ "Punjab General Legislative Election 2007". Election Commission of India. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  41. ^ a b Chief Electoral Officer - Punjab. "Electors and Polling Stations - VS 2017" (PDF). Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  42. ^ Election Commission of India. "Punjab General Legislative Election 2017". Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  43. ^ "Punjab Elections 2022: Full list of Congress Candidates and their Constituencies". FE Online. No. The Financial Express (India). The Indian Express Group. 18 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
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  45. ^ "5-cornered contest for Sangrur Lok Sabha byelection". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  46. ^ "Election Commission of India". results.eci.gov.in. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
Lok Sabha
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Tarn Taran

1989 – 1991
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Sangrur

1999 – 2004
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Sangrur

2022 – Present
Incumbent