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Time of India
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
In Tarn Taran, stakes go beyond bypoll for jailed MP Amritpal Singh's party
Tarn Taran: For NSA detainee and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh 's father, Tarsem Singh, his party's interest in contesting the Tarn Taran assembly seat bypoll is both symbolic and strategic. "Bhai Amritpal's followers want his party to contest to express support for him and his cause," he says. The seat, left vacant after the death of AAP MLA Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal, has emerged as a critical political test for Tarsem — not just for votes, but for sentiment. Amritpal, lodged in Assam's Dibrugarh jail under the National Security Act (NSA), had secured a surprise victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Khadoor Sahib despite being incarcerated. One of the nine assembly segments under the Khadoor Sahib constituency is Tarn Taran, where Amritpal received 44,703 votes in 2024. The math, Tarsem believes, favours Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De). In the 2022 assembly elections, Dr Sohal had won by getting around 52,000 votes. But numbers are only part of the equation. For 'Team Amritpal', the bypoll is about maintaining symbolic momentum. The panthic image cultivated by Amritpal — with clear echoes of the slain militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale — is central to his appeal. Amritpal came to prominence in Sep 2022, controversially taking charge of Waris Punjab De, a group founded by the late actor-activist Deep Sidhu. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Upto 15% Discount for Salaried Individuals ICICI Pru Life Insurance Plan Get Quote Undo His hardline image, vocal support for Khalistan, and a campaign urging youth to reject drugs and modern vices earned him mass attention and state scrutiny. The breaking point came in Feb 2023, when he and his supporters carried the Guru Granth Sahib — considered the living Guru in Sikhism — to Ajnala police station in Amritsar to free an aide. This act, seen by many as sacrilegious, triggered a statewide crackdown. After evading arrest for 35 days, he was captured in Rode — the same village Bhindranwale hailed from — and subsequently jailed in Assam. Yet, in 2024, his Lok Sabha win was widely interpreted as a public rebuke of the govt's crackdown. Keeping Amritpal's panthic image in mind, Waris Punjab De initially approached Paramjit Kaur Khalra, widow of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, to contest the bypoll, but she declined. Focus then shifted to Satwant Kaur, who is part of the five-member committee opposing Sukhbir Badal's hold on Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Waris Punjab De is banking on its panthic image in the bypoll. Tarn Taran's tilet for panthic candidates is visible in the last five assembly elections. The seat elected Shiromani Akali Dal's (SAD) Harmeet Singh Sandhu in 2002, 2007 and 2012. In the last two elections, he lost, but was a close second, as he got 45,156 votes in 2017 and 39,347 in 2022. AAP, for its part, is banking on governance and development. Party spokesperson Shashivir Sharma said, "We have our work to show for it. Our high command will present a strong and dedicated candidate focused on the development of Tarn Taran. What other parties do is their own business." While the date of the bypoll is yet to be announced, Khalsa University vice-chancellor Mehal Singh remarked that development and drug eradication would likely outweigh identity politics. "There was a time when people voted for Amritpal, but that may not be repeated," he said. Box Both ran anti-drug campaigns Both AAP and Amritpal have placed anti-drugs campaigns at the heart of their messaging — though the methods differed. AAP recently launched a broad crackdown on the drug trade, while Amritpal's grassroots campaign in 2022-2023 urged youth to embrace traditional Sikh values and reject addiction. Ultimately, for Amritpal's party, the stakes go beyond one seat. Winning Tarn Taran would be a step toward consolidating Amritpal's symbolic authority and sustaining a panthic narrative. For his opponents, the bypoll will be a litmus test of how deep his influence really runs and whether it ends at the prison gates.
Time of India
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Stakes go beyond bypoll in Tarn Taran for NSA detainee MP Amritpal's party; ; Waris Punjab De's candidate search getting tough after Khalra widow rejects offer
Tarn Taran: For NSA detainee and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh 's father, Tarsem Singh, his party's interest in contesting the Tarn Taran assembly seat bypoll is both symbolic and strategic. "Bhai Amritpal's followers want his party to contest to express support for him and his cause," he says. The seat, left vacant after the death of AAP MLA Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal, has emerged as a critical political test for Tarsem — not just for votes, but for sentiment. Amritpal, lodged in Assam's Dibrugarh jail under the National Security Act (NSA), had secured a surprise victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Khadoor Sahib despite being incarcerated. One of the nine assembly segments under the Khadoor Sahib constituency is Tarn Taran, where Amritpal received 44,703 votes in 2024. The math, Tarsem believes, favours Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De). In the 2022 assembly elections, Dr Sohal had won by getting around 52,000 votes. But numbers are only part of the equation. For 'Team Amritpal', the bypoll is about maintaining symbolic momentum. The panthic image cultivated by Amritpal — with clear echoes of the slain militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale — is central to his appeal. Amritpal came to prominence in Sep 2022, controversially taking charge of Waris Punjab De, a group founded by the late actor-activist Deep Sidhu. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Providers are furious: Internet access without a subscription! Techno Mag Learn More Undo His hardline image, vocal support for Khalistan, and a campaign urging youth to reject drugs and modern vices earned him mass attention and state scrutiny. The breaking point came in Feb 2023, when he and his supporters carried the Guru Granth Sahib — considered the living Guru in Sikhism — to Ajnala police station in Amritsar to free an aide. This act, seen by many as sacrilegious, triggered a statewide crackdown. After evading arrest for 35 days, he was captured in Rode — the same village Bhindranwale hailed from — and subsequently jailed in Assam. Yet, in 2024, his Lok Sabha win was widely interpreted as a public rebuke of the govt's crackdown. Keeping Amritpal's panthic image in mind, Waris Punjab De initially approached Paramjit Kaur Khalra, widow of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, to contest the bypoll, but she declined. Focus then shifted to Satwant Kaur, who is part of the five-member committee opposing Sukhbir Badal's hold on Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Waris Punjab De is banking on its panthic image in the bypoll. Tarn Taran's tilet for panthic candidates is visible in the last five assembly elections. The seat elected Shiromani Akali Dal's (SAD) Harmeet Singh Sandhu in 2002, 2007 and 2012. In the last two elections, he lost, but was a close second, as he got 45,156 votes in 2017 and 39,347 in 2022. AAP, for its part, is banking on governance and development. Party spokesperson Shashivir Sharma said, "We have our work to show for it. Our high command will present a strong and dedicated candidate focused on the development of Tarn Taran. What other parties do is their own business." While the date of the bypoll is yet to be announced, Khalsa University vice-chancellor Mehal Singh remarked that development and drug eradication would likely outweigh identity politics. "There was a time when people voted for Amritpal, but that may not be repeated," he said.
Hindustan Times
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana influencer's killing: Faridkot MP honours Mehron's father
Religious vigilante Amritpal Singh Mehron, who is stated to be hiding in the UAE after allegedly killing a Ludhiana-based woman social media influencer as part of his moral policing, is getting support from several people, including Faridkot parliamentarian Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa and digital creators. Independent MP Khalsa visited Mehron village in Moga on Tuesday and honoured the murder accused's father Baljinder to reporters, Khalsa expressed his 'gratitude' to Mehron for his 'act'. 'Jo ve eh hoya hai asi usdi shalaha karde haan (whatever it happened deserves commendation). Immoral content on social media platforms has a nuisance value for all age groups using mobile phones,' said Khalsa, son of former PM Indira Gandhi's assassin Beant Singh and leader of Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) party. The MP said, 'It is unfortunate that those posting immoral content on social media platforms are being provided police security, whereas those working against it are being harassed by the authorities.' Akal Takht Sahib's head granthi Giani Malkit Singh on Monday justified Kanchan's murder, stating that the act was 'appropriate' in light of her alleged role in promoting obscenity. A young farmer activist from Haryana's Ambala, Navdeep Singh Jalbera, who shot to fame during the farmer agitation against three central farm laws, announced on his Facebook page his support for Mehron. Jalbera was called 'water canon boy' when attracted international media attention in November 2020, when farmers from Haryana and Punjab were rushing to Delhi on tractor-trailers, breaking police barricades, and he had jumped over a moving tractor after closing a nozzle of a water cannon trying to stop them. Jalbera, who has 1.14 lakh followers on Facebook, posted a video terming Mehron as 'quoam da heera' and 'we have a great respect for him for his action.' Another digital content creator, Bhana Sidhu, who has 1.42 lakh followers on Facebook, posted his photo with Mehron with a caption 'Amritpal de naal khade haan'. The photo was posted after Mehron was named as the main accused in Kanchan's murder. Sidhu posted several videos of Mehron where the latter was threatening social media influencers to stop posting 'vulgar' content online. Another social media enthusiast, Bhinda Harry Sangha, with over 2 lakh followers on his FB page, lamented those criticizing Kanchan's murder. He posted a video stating that Kanchan deserved 'sodha' or religious punishment by the community for defaming Sikhism. 'She wrongly portrayed herself as a Sikh and posted vulgar content,' he said in a video. Content indecent but killing totally wrong: Women's panel chief Chandigarh Punjab Women Commission chairperson Raj Rani Gill on Wednesday demanded strong regulation to monitor indecent content being served on social media by a few influencers. Talking to mediapersons, Gill said she would write to the Prime Minister, Punjab chief minister, governor and DGP to come out with strong laws to stop spreading vulgarity on social media by influencers. 'India is a culturally rich country. If we can regulate content related to arms and pornography, why not have strict provisions for dealing with vulgarity, nudity and anything which is indecent should be banned,' said Gill. She said controversial influencer Kamal Kaur's content being served on social media was totally vulgar but her killing was totally wrong. 'It was a cold-blooded murder. I am totally against the immoral acts but nobody has the right to kill anybody in the name of vigilantism,' said the chairperson. Gill said society in general should also raise the issue. 'How can a family accept money earned through indecent acts and videos,' she questioned. 'This vulgarity and indecency should not be linked with women empowerment. Freedom of speech is not vulgarity and indecency. Freedom of speech is about making you empowered for good reasons not for spreading vulgarity and indecency. It is adversely impacting our culture and leaving a bad impact on the kids,' said Gill.
Indian Express
07-06-2025
- Indian Express
Sikh activist murder probe leads to Tinder account ‘linked' to Amritpal Singh
Punjab Police has sought information from dating app Tinder about an account suspected to be linked with radical preacher and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, who has been booked in the murder of a Sikh activist. The Faridkot police, in a letter to Tinder on May 26, said it was probing the murder case of Sikh activist Gurpreet Singh Hari Nau, who was shot dead on October 9 last year while returning home from a local Gurdwara. Nau was a member of the radical outfit 'Waris Punjab De' headed by Amritpal Singh. He used to run a Facebook page 'Hari Nau Talks' and had openly opposed Amritpal Singh's radical views, revealed sources. Police have sought from Tinder the subscriber details, name, DOB, phone number, location information, and IP address logs since January 1, 2019. It has also sought information on all linked e-mail IDs and phone numbers, photographs and media files uploaded, friends/contacts list and mutual matches, chat history and messages exchanged via the Tinder platform and any other detail.
Time of India
07-06-2025
- Time of India
Left swipe on loyalty: Dating app clue in WPD aide killingPunjab Police seek details from Tinder in murder probe linked to Amritpal Singh.
Bathinda: Punjab Police are seeking details from dating app Tinder about an account connected allegedly to Khadoor Sahib's jailed MP and Waris Punjab De leader Amritpal Singh, in connection with the 2024 killing of his party aide Gurpreet Singh Hari Nau. Faridkot police, who lead the investigation, believe the Tinder profile — registered under the name Amrit Sandhu — may be tied to the radical, self-styled, separatist preacher imprisoned in Assam's Dibrugarh under the National Security Act. Hari Nau was shot on Oct 9 last year while returning from a village gurdwara on his motorcycle. Senior superintendent of police Pragya Jain has onfirmed that the Tinder account emerged during forensic examination of digital evidence. Police have requested Tinder formally to provide them with subscriber details, including the user's full name, date of birth, phone number, location history, IP logs dating back to Jan 1, 2019, as well as photographs, linked email addresses, contacts, and message records. The request was submitted in late May, but authorities claim to have received no response from the platform, so far. The investigation took a turn in Nov 2024 when police arrested Anmolpreet Singh and Navjot Singh, alleged operatives of Canadian-based gangster-turned-terrorist Arsh Dalla, who was named formally in the case, while Amritpal Singh was also added as a suspect on Jan 7 this year. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Pinga-Pinga e HBP? Tome isso 1x ao dia se tem mais de 40 anos Portal Saúde do Homem Clique aqui Undo Director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav had earlier confirmed that Amritpal Singh's role in the murder was under scrutiny. The family of the slain Gurpreet Hari Nau alleged that he had received threats from associates of Amritpal Singh in the weeks leading up to his death, citing internal rifts. Hari Nau was also known for posting critical videos and statements on social media. The investigation continues as authorities await Tinder's cooperation, which they believe could help clarify the digital trail in a case that now spans terrorism charges, inter-party feuds, and social media influence. MSID:: 121695316 413 | Bathinda: Punjab Police are seeking details from dating app Tinder about an account connected allegedly to Khadoor Sahib's jailed MP and Waris Punjab De leader Amritpal Singh, in connection with the 2024 killing of his party aide Gurpreet Singh Hari Nau. Faridkot police, who lead the investigation, believe the Tinder profile — registered under the name Amrit Sandhu — may be tied to the radical, self-styled, separatist preacher imprisoned in Assam's Dibrugarh under the National Security Act. Hari Nau was shot on Oct 9 last year while returning from a village gurdwara on his motorcycle. Senior superintendent of police Pragya Jain has onfirmed that the Tinder account emerged during forensic examination of digital evidence. Police have requested Tinder formally to provide them with subscriber details, including the user's full name, date of birth, phone number, location history, IP logs dating back to Jan 1, 2019, as well as photographs, linked email addresses, contacts, and message records. The request was submitted in late May, but authorities claim to have received no response from the platform, so far. The investigation took a turn in Nov 2024 when police arrested Anmolpreet Singh and Navjot Singh, alleged operatives of Canadian-based gangster-turned-terrorist Arsh Dalla, who was named formally in the case, while Amritpal Singh was also added as a suspect on Jan 7 this year. Director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav had earlier confirmed that Amritpal Singh's role in the murder was under scrutiny. The family of the slain Gurpreet Hari Nau alleged that he had received threats from associates of Amritpal Singh in the weeks leading up to his death, citing internal rifts. Hari Nau was also known for posting critical videos and statements on social media. The investigation continues as authorities await Tinder's cooperation, which they believe could help clarify the digital trail in a case that now spans terrorism charges, inter-party feuds, and social media influence. MSID:: 121695316 413 | Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
