Simranjit Singh Mann
OfficeMember of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Term start 22 December 1989
Term end 213 March 1991
Constituency 2Tarn Taran
Predecessor 2Tarlochan Singh Tur
Successor 2Surinder Singh Kairon
Term start 16 October 1999
Term end 113 May 2004
Constituency 1Sangrur
Predecessor 1Surjit Singh Barnala
Successor 1Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa
Term start26 June 2022
Term end4 June 2024
ConstituencySangrur
PredecessorBhagwant Mann
SuccessorGurmeet Singh Meet Hayer
Office 4President of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)
Term start 41 May 1994
Office 5Member of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee
Term start 51996
Term end 52011
Constituency 5Bassi Pathana
Birth placeShimla, Punjab, British India
(present-day Himachal Pradesh, India)
Birth date20 May 1945 (age 81)
PartyShiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)
Other partyShiromani Akali Dal (until 1991)
Alma materGovt. College, Chandigarh
ProfessionAgriculturist & Police Officer
OccupationPolitician
EducationB.A. (honours) (gold medalist)
ParentsSardar Joginder Singh Mann and Sardarni Gurbachan Kaur
SpouseGeetinder Kaur Mann

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 from 2022 till 2024. He lost elections in 2024 to Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer. 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 between 2022 and 2024.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Early life

Simranjit Singh Mann was born in Shimla on 20 May 1945.[1] His maternal grandfather was Arur Singh, former sarbarah of the Golden Temple complex during British-rule.[8] His father, Joginder Singh Mann, was a speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in 1967.[9]

Mann was educated at the Bishop Cotton School, Shimla and Government College Chandigarh. He was a gold medalist in history.[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.[10] 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][10] 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.[11] Afterwards he won 1999 Lok Sabha elections from Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency. He also won 1996, 2004 SGPC elections from Bassi Pathana.[11]

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.[12]

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.[13] He subsequently resigned his seat in protest.[14]

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.[15]

On 23 March 2004, Prakash Singh Badal accused Mann of running derogatory ads against him and indulging in character assassination.[16]

He contested re-election in the 2004 Indian general election from Sangrur constituency but lost the election and came in 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.[10]

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.[17]

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.[18][19][20] His grandson was in-charge of his election campaign.[21]

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.[22] He asked for elections in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex religious body of Sikhs.[23]

He lost the Sangrur seat in 2024 General elections to Meet Hayer of Aam Aadmi Party.[24]

Political positions

Khalistan

Mann is a proponent of Sikh nation state Khalistan.[18] 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.[18][25]

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.[26][27]

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."[28]

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."[29]

In 2022, he called Bhagat Singh "a terrorist" involved in "terror activities in pre-Independent India".[30] AAP leaders condemned the statement and asked him to apologize.[31][32] 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.[33]

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.[34]

Family

Mann is married to Geetinder Kaur,[35] who is a sister of Preneet Kaur, the wife of former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh.[36] The couple have a son and two daughters.[1][37][38][13]

See also

  1. Parkash Singh Badal
  2. Captain Amarinder Singh

References

  1. ^ "Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)". Akalidalamritsar.net. Archived 1 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ^ "Rediff on the NeT: The Rediff Election Interview/ Simranjit Singh Mann". Rediff News. 26 October 1999. Archived 21 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ "Sangrur Bypoll Results Live: AAP loses Bhagwant Mann's seat, SAD-A wins by 6,800 votes". Hindustan Times. 2022-06-26. Archived 26 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ "AESL Chemistry Lecture Plans - Google Drive"
  5. ^ "in police net". The Indian Express. 9 March 2006. Archived 20 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ^ "Pro-Khalistan slogans raised at Golden Temple". Thaindian.com. Archived 27 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  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 8 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ^ Bharti, Vishav (16 July 2022). "Simranjit Singh Mann defends grandfather who honoured General Reginald Dyer". The Tribune. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  9. ^ "Ace shooter & MP. Who is this?". Rediff News. Archived 8 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  10. ^ "Mann resigns from party after defeat in Punjab elections". PunjabNewsline.com. 1 March 2007. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011.
  11. ^ Simranjit Singh Mann: Ex-cop who refuses to give up. "Simranjit Singh Mann: Ex-cop who refuses to give up"
  12. ^ "Book review: Stolen Years – A Memoir of Simranjit Singh Mann's Imprisonment". The Indian Express. 27 September 2014. Archived 18 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
  13. ^ "It's from father to son in Punjab". Rediff News. 9 February 2002. Archived 21 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  14. ^ Crossette, Barbara (29 December 1990). "Premier of India meets Sikh leader". New York Times. Archived 22 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
  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 8 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  16. ^ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Punjab". The Tribune (India). 23 March 2004. Archived 15 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
  17. ^ "Amargarh Election Results 2022 Live: Smit Singh Mann vs Jaswant Singh Gajjanamajra vs Ikabar Singh Jhoonda". Financialexpress. Archived 10 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
  18. ^ "Simranjit Mann: Khalistan advocate back in Parliament after two decades". The Economic Times. 27 June 2022. Archived 26 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
  19. ^ The Hindu (26 June 2022). "With Sangrur bypoll win, Simranjit Singh Mann makes a comeback" (in en-IN). Archived 21 May 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Explained: 5 reasons why Simranjit Singh Mann defeated AAP in Sangrur, CM Bhagwant Mann's bastion". The Indian Express. 26 June 2022.
  21. ^ "Behind Simranjit Singh Mann's bypoll campaign, grandson born a year before he last won election". The Indian Express. 4 July 2022.
  22. ^ "MP Simranjit Singh Mann's objection to addressing Droupadi Murmu as 'Rashtrapati' expunged from records". Deccan Herald. 31 July 2022.
  23. ^ "SAD (A) holds protest to demand SGPC elections". Hindustan Times. 15 September 2022.
  24. ^ "Sangrur election results 2024 live updates: AAP's Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer wins". The Times of India. 2024-06-04. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  25. ^ "Simranjit Singh Mann stokes row, dedicates Sangrur win to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale: Know about pro-Khalistan leader". Firstpost. 27 June 2022. Archived 27 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
  26. ^ "Sangrur MP's Twitter account withheld". Hindustan Times. 20 March 2023.
  27. ^ Menon, Aditya (20 March 2023). "Amritpal Singh Crackdown: Several Sikh Twitter Accounts Withheld on Govt Orders". TheQuint
  28. ^ "SAD leader Mann acquitted in 65th sedition case". Hindustan Times. 11 June 2013. Archived 15 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
  29. ^ Ch, india today digital. "Akali Dal leader calls Bhagat Singh a terrorist". India Today. Archived 15 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
  30. ^ "AAP slams Simranjit Singh for calling Bhagat Singh a 'terrorist'". The Statesman. 15 July 2022. Archived 15 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
  31. ^ "Punjab: SAD leader Simranjit Singh Mann courts controversy with 'terrorist' remark on Bhagat Singh". Free Press Journal. Archived 15 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
  32. ^ "Punjab MP Walks Into Controversy Over Bhagat Singh "Terrorist" Comment". NDTV.com. 15 July 2022. Archived 15 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
  33. ^ "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.
  34. ^ "Simranjit Singh Mann defends grandfather who honoured General Reginald Dyer". Tribuneindia News Service. 16 July 2022.
  35. ^ "Door-to-door canvassing by candidates' wives, women kin The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – mad". The Tribune (India). Archived 22 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Mann’s wife Geetinder Kaur Mann has been campaigning for the SAD (A) candidate
  36. ^ "Mandarins who rule Punjab". The Indian Express. 2 February 2003. Archived 25 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
  37. ^ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – Punjab". The Tribune (India). Archived 5 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  38. ^ "SAD(Amritsar) leaders level serious allegations on Daljit Singh Bittu". PunjabNewsline.com. 30 November 2007. Archived 13 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 August 2009.