Simranjit Singh Mann, the newly elected pro-Khalistan Sangrur MP and the head of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), has delved into controversy yet again by labelling Freedom Fighter Bhagat Singh a “terrorist.” Reporters in Karnal on Thursday questioned Simranjit Singh Mann about why he had previously referred to Bhagat Singh as a “terrorist” when he was actually a brave martyr.
To which he replied, “Bhagat Singh had killed a young, English naval officer, he had killed an Amritdhari Sikh constable, Channan Singh. He hurled a bomb at the National Assembly at the time. Now you tell me whether Bhagat Singh was a terrorist or not?”
Sangrur MP Simranjit Singh Mann says Shaheed E Azam Bhagat Singh is a terrorist, when he was asked yesterday by journalists in Karnal about his take on Sardar Bhagat Singh pic.twitter.com/yVFX1mNr2k
— Gagandeep Singh (@Gagan4344) July 15, 2022
Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, a minister in the Punjab cabinet, slammed Simranjit Singh Mann and said that he should apologise unconditionally for his statements on Bhagat Singh. Hayer, the state minister of higher education and languages, claimed that Bhagat Singh will be declared a martyr for his great sacrifice for the cause of the country’s freedom.
Mann also went on a weird separatist tirade on July 14th, claiming that if Khalistan is formed, it will serve as a “buffer state,” and South Asia will never have a nuclear war as a result of its existence.
Mann said, “First, they (BJP-led Central government) should answer whether they can keep India intact or not. If they will approve Khalistan then it’ll become a buffer state. Islamic Pakistan has nuclear weapons, Hindu India has nuclear weapons, Comrade China has nuclear weapons, and Khalistan would become a buffer state of these three states and it will ensure there is never a nuclear war in South Asia.” The pro-Khalistan MP said that the demand for Khalistan was alright since India was “giving away its land to Pakistan and China.”
Simranjit Singh Mann – A Pro-Khalistan leader
Simranjit Singh Mann has publicly supported the Khalistan cause in the past. He had quit the police service due to Operation Blue Star, which was launched by the Government of India to eliminate Khalistani terrorists ensconced in Amritsar’s Harmandir Sahib. According to reports, his party workers raised pro-Khalistan shouts at the Golden Temple on the anniversary of Operation Blue Star this year.
In 2021, while wishing for the new year, he said on Twitter, “May 2021 bring freedom for the Sikh community in form of ‘Khalistan’ that will eradicate social evils such as coercion, discrimination, greed, ego, etc. and restore human values, mutual love, respect, and cooperation.”
In 2018, while sharing photographs of security forces deployed on the anniversary of Operation Blue Star, he wrote, “This naked show of force by the Indian state is to show the world how this Hindu state treats the stateless Sikhs. The Hindu state still thinks that machine guns will frighten the Sikhs and keep them away from their peaceful means to carve out the Sikh state of Khalistan.”
Simranjit Singh Mann has openly demanded Khalistan and often spoke about a separate state for Sikhs. Reports suggest he has been arrested over 30 times including over charges of sedition but never got convicted.
Election of Mann as Sangrur MP
The Election Commission of India (ECI) issued by-poll results for several Lok Sabha and Assembly seats across states on June 26, including the Lok Sabha seat of Sangrur, Punjab, which became vacant after Bhagwant Mann, MP from Sangrur, was elected Chief Minister of Punjab. Gurmail Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party was handed the ticket, however, he was defeated by Simranjit Singh Mann of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar).
