SAD faction led by Giani Harpreet Singh backs candidate fielded by Amritpal Singh’s outfit

The SAD breakaway faction led by Akal Takht former Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh on Sunday extended support to the Akail Dal (Waris Punjab De) candidate for the Tarn Taran Assembly bypoll scheduled for November 11.

Simranjit Singh Mann-led SAD (Amritsar) too endorsed the candidate.

This comes as the SAD faction had announced earlier that they would pick a candidate for the bypoll on the basis of a report to be submitted by a seven-member selection panel.

Giani Harpreet had said that the group had constituted the panel on October 3 to select a suitable candidate.

The Akail Dal (Waris Punjab De), led by pro-Khalistan sympathiser and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, has fielded Mandeep Singh, the brother of a murder accused. Tarn Taran, always considered a Panthic seat, is one of the Assembly segments in the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha seat.

The decision to back Mandeep Singh was taken after members of the selection committee, including Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Bhai Manjit Singh, Sucha Singh Chhotepur, Iqbal Singh Jhundan, interacted with workers and local leaders.

Mandeep Singh is the brother of Sandeep Singh Sunny, main accused in the 2022 murder case of Shiv Sena leader Sudhir Suri.

Sunny had also attacked three former policemen, killing one and injuring two others, inside the Patiala jail on September 10. Mann said keeping in view the sacrifices of the family, they should get Panthic support.