Jailed Sikh Leader Amritpal Singh to Contest Lok Sabha Election from Punjab
Jailed Sikh Leader Amritpal Singh to Contest Lok Sabha Election from Punjab
Since Amritpal Singh has not been convicted and kept in jail arbitrarily, he is eligible to participate in the elections.
By Rakesh Raman
A youth Sikh leader Amritpal Singh – who is currently in jail – has filed his nomination to contest the ongoing Lok Sabha election in India. According to reports, the Election Commission has accepted his nomination as an independent candidate for the Khadoor Sahib constituency of Punjab.
In April 2023, Punjab Police had arrested Amritpal Singh and sent him and his nine companions to Dibrugarh jail of Assam where they have been imprisoned under the draconian National Security Act (NSA).
With the help of his followers, Amritpal Singh – who was trying to stop drug addiction in Punjab – supports a demand for a separate Sikh state Khalistan to bring peace and prosperity back to Punjab which is facing unprecedented unrest.
It is largely believed that since Amritpal Singh was leading a campaign against illegal drug trade and lawlessness in Punjab, the government of chief minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann colluded with the central Indian government to implicate Amritpal Singh and his associates in false cases including the NSA.
[ Also Read: Petition to Get Amritpal Singh and Other Sikh Activists Released from Arbitrary Detention in India ]
Last year, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann – who is a member of parliament (MP) from Sangrur in Punjab – had expressed his apprehension that Amritpal Singh who is the leader of the ‘Waris Punjab De’ (or inheritors of Punjab) social group may be eliminated by Punjab Police.
It is being observed in multiple cases that the Bhagwant Mann government is misusing police force to terrorize people who criticize his government for corruption and misgovernance in Punjab.
It is believed that if Amritpal Singh wins the Lok Sabha election, he will be able to raise the issues of illegal drug trade and human rights violation in Punjab in the parliament to save persecuted Sikhs in the state.
The Representation of the People Act, 1951, allows jailed candidates to contest elections if they are under trial. The Act prohibits the candidates from contesting elections if they are convicted for an offence and imprisoned for 2 years or more.
Since Amritpal Singh has not been convicted and kept in jail arbitrarily, he is eligible to participate in the elections. The other candidates in the Khadoor Sahib constituency are Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Laljit Singh Bhullar and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) member Virsa Singh Valtoha.
Polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will be held on June 1 and the Lok Sabha election results will be declared on June 4. The Lok Sabha election is being held on electronic voting machines (EVMs) which can be manipulated to fraudulently change the election results in favour of certain candidates.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.
