Criminal past behind, Gurpreet Sekhon  now key player in Ferozepur politics

In border belt Ferozepur, former “most wanted” gangster-turned-politician Gurpreet Singh Sekhon, alias Sonu Mudki, has emerged as a decisive force in the zila parishad elections, with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) openly throwing its weight behind Independent candidates fielded by him.

The SAD has not fielded a nominee in two of the four zila parishad zones in the Ferozepur Rural Assembly constituency. Former SAD MLA and the party district president Joginder Singh Jindu has been actively holding meetings in support of Sekhon’s candidates.

Sekhon’s rise is as dramatic as his past. A co-mastermind of the sensational Nabha jailbreak in November 2016 (during the SAD-BJP government), he was freed by a heavily armed gang that stormed the high-security jail in Patiala district and helped six “most wanted” criminals escape, including two terrorists.

Booked in over a dozen cases across Punjab and Chandigarh, Sekhon, once a member of the Jaipal gang, claims to have transitioned into mainstream politics after spending nearly 10 years in jails. Two of his female relatives, his wife Mandeep Kaur (Bazidpur zone) and Kuljeet Kaur (Ferozeshah zone), are contesting the zila parishad polls, with Sekhon personally leading their campaign.

After coming out of jail two years ago, he has not only changed his appearance, now sporting a flowing beard, but also moves in a cavalcade of vehicles. He now has 50,000 followers on Facebook.

AAP’s Ferozepur Rural MLA Rajneesh Dahiya claimed that Sekhon, while seeking security cover, told the high court that he faces several FIRs and has had past rivalries involving gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. “The SAD has, however, surrendered half of the constituency to Sekhon. I have heard he roams in a bulletproof vehicle, and three close associates with him have got security cover,” Dahiya said.

Sekhon, however, maintains he has left crime behind. He says years spent reciting ‘Gurbani’ in prison transformed him, and he now wants to serve the people. He accuses the AAP government of neglecting basic development, including the road to Gurdwara Bazidpur Sahib, and has set his sights on contesting the 2027 Assembly election.

“All I want now is honest governance and development of the area, for which I am determined to contest the 2027 Assembly election. I am getting overwhelming support from the people, although the present political dispensation is trying its best to put roadblocks in my way. Still, I am committed to becoming a good citizen and will take all future steps within the framework of the law,” said Gurpreet Sekhon, who was also the prime accused in the murder of notorious gangster Sukha Kahlon.

Talking to The Tribune, SAD leader Joginder Singh Jindu admitted that the SAD was supporting the two Independent candidates fielded by Gurpreet Sekhon in the Zila Parishad elections and some candidates for the panchayat samitis as well.

“Gurpreet Sekhon has spent nearly 10 years in jails for his past. I don’t endorse or justify his past. However, if a youth goes astray, governments must help reform him. We are doing the same, standing with him. With public support, Sekhon even built the road to the gurdwara, which the AAP government failed to deliver. He helped people during floods and arranged marriages of underprivileged girls,” said Jindu.