Simranjit Singh Mann

Simranjit Singh Mann (born 20 May 1945)[1] is a Sikh politician from Punjab.[2][3][4] He is president of the Sikh political party Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar). Mann is a two time Member of Parliament, winning from Taran Tarn in 1989 and Sangrur in 1999.[5] He has been arrested or detained some 30 times but he has never been convicted.[6]

Simranjit Singh Mann
Member of Parliament
for Sangrur (Lok Sabha constituency)
In office
1999-2004
Preceded bySurjit Singh Barnala
Succeeded bySukhdev Singh Dhindsa
Member of Parliament
for Taran Taran (Lok Sabha constituency)
In office
1989-1991
Preceded byTarlochan Singh Tur
Succeeded bySurinder Singh Kairon
Personal details
Political partyShiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)

Background

Born at Shimla in 1945, he comes from a political family. His father, Lt. Col. Joginder Singh Mann, was a speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha (also known as Punjab Legislative Assembly) in 1967.[7] He is married to Geetinder Kaur Mann.[8] Mann's wife and Capt. Amarinder Singh's wife Preneet Kaur are sisters.[9]

He was educated at the Bishop Cotton School, Shimla and Government College Chandigarh. He was a gold medalist in subject "History".[1]

He has one son, Emaan Singh, and two daughters, Pavit Kaur and Nanki Kaur.[1] Some news agencies also spell his son's name as Imaan Singh Mann.[10] His son is also a politician.[11][12]

Indian Police Service

He had appeared for Central Services Examination in 1966 and subsequently he joined Indian Police Services in 1967 and he was allocated "Punjab Cadre". He worked on several Indian Police Service positions, including Assistant Superintendent of Police Ludhiana, Senior Superintendent of Police Ferozepur, Senior Superintendent of Police Faridkot, Assistant Inspector-General of Police Railways, Patiala, Deputy Director of Vigilance Bureau Chandigarh, Commandant of Panjab Armed Police and Group Commandant of Industrial Security Force Bombay. He also served as Assistant Deputy Commissioner Governor of Punjab. To protest against Indian Government troops attack (also known as Operation Blue Star) on Golden Temple he resigned from Indian Police Service on 18 June 1984.[1][13]

Political career

In 1984, he resigned his post as Commandant of the Central Industrial Security Force in Bombay[1] in protest of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and attack on the most sacred shrine Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) during Operation Blue Star, which was carried out by the Indian army, and was detained. Mann was charged, among other things, with conspiracy to assassinate Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

He was elected in absentia to India's Parliament by an overwhelming mandate in the State of Punjab, and unconditionally released "in the interests of the State", with all charges dropped, after five years in prison, in November 1989. He was denied an Indian passport on the grounds that he was "threat to the security and integrity of India". Mann was denied entry into the Indian Parliament when he insisted on carrying a sword with him, refusing to exchange it for an allowable smaller Kirpan.[14]

In May 1993, while campaigning in support of a candidate during the Jalandhar by-elections, a gunman attempted to assassinate Mann. No one was charged in the crime.

On 3 November 1999, after Mann was elected to the Indian Parliament, Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered the Union of India and the Passport Office in Chandigarh to issue a passport to Mann.[15]

Footnotes
  1. "Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)". Akalidalamritsar.net. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  2. "Khalistan ideologue in police net". Indianexpress.com. 9 March 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  3. "Pro-Khalistan slogans raised at Golden Temple". Thaindian.com. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  4. 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. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  5. "Rediff on the NeT: The Rediff Election Interview/ Simranjit Singh Mann". Rediff.com. 26 October 1999. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  6. "Book review: Stolen Years – A Memoir of Simranjit Singh Mann's Imprisonment". The Indian Express. 27 September 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  7. "Ace shooter & MP. Who is this?". Rediff.com. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  8. "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – mad". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  9. "Mandarins who rule Punjab". Indianexpress.com. 2 February 2003. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  10. "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – Punjab". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  11. "SAD(Amritsar) leaders level serious allegations on Daljit Singh Bittu". PunjabNewsline.com. 30 November 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  12. "It's from father to son in Punjab". rediff.com. 9 February 2002. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  13. "Mann resigns from party after defeat in Punjab elections". PunjabNewsline.com. 1 March 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  15. 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. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
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