JALANDHAR (PTI): The Akali Dal (Mann) president, Simranjit Singh Mann, escaped an assassination attempt May 18, according to Such a Singh Chotepur, the party general secretary.
Chotepur newsmen here that Mann was having a meeting with party men at the election office at Shahkot in Jaladhar district when an armed youth managed to reach him after breaking the security cordon with an intention to assassinate him.
As the youth took out his loaded revolver, he was overpowered by the security men and later handed over to the police, Chotepur said. A 32 bore revolver was recovered from him. Chotepur also showed to the newsmen the photographs taken by a foreign newsman who happened to be at the site.
The senior superintendent of police (SSP), Jalandhar, S.K.Sharma, said the arrested gunman, Ravinder Ravi Kumar, was the gunman cum driver of a fanatic Hindu Congress(1) councillor, Om Parkash Gabba, he is being held for interrogation. Sources have reported that the police are not likely to take any action against the arrested youth due to the known inimical disposition of the Govt, towards the Akali leader, Simranjit Singh Mann; President of Akali Dal (Mann) is advocates an Independent Nation for Sikhs.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 21, 1993
