Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu walked free on Saturday after spending nearly 10 months in Patiala central jail in a 1988 road rage death case. He was wearing a sky blue jacket when he came out of jail.
The 59-year-old’s supporters had assembled since morning outside the prison to accord him a grand welcome upon his release and they could be heard chanting ‘Navjot Sidhu zindabad’. Several Congress leaders including Amritsar MP Gurjit Aujla, former Punjab Congress chiefs Shamsher Singh Dullo, Mohinder Singh Kaypee and Lal Singh, former MLA Navtej Singh Cheema, other leaders Ashwani Sekhri, Sukhwinder Singh Danny were also waiting for the return of Sidhu.
The former state Congress chief was jailed on May 20 last year after being sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment by the Supreme Court over the death of the 65-year-old Gurnam Singh in a road rage case in 1988.
First, a Timeline of Road Rage Case He Was Convicted In
Sidhu and Rupinder Singh Sandhu parked their Gypsy in the middle of the road near the Sheranwala Gate-Crossing in Patiala on December 27, 1988. As Gurnam Singh, 65, arrived in a car, he ordered Sidhu and Sandhu to move aside. Sidhu then thrashed Singh. He also took Singh’s car keys before escaping, preventing him from seeking medical attention.
Sidhu was acquitted in the murder case in September 1999, but in December 2006, the Punjab and Haryana High Court found both guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Both were also fined Rs 1 lakh by the high court, as per a report by India Today.
The verdict was then appealed at the Supreme Court by Sidhu and Sandhu. According to reports, Sidhu said that the data was conflicting and that the medical opinion was “vague.” However, the Supreme Court convicted Sidhu under Section 323 (penalty for voluntarily causing hurt) and acquitted him under Section 304 (II) (culpable homicide not equal to murder) on May 15, 2018.
On September 12, 2018, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a petition for review. The Supreme Court deferred its decision on the review petition on March 25, 2022.
Who Was Present Upon Sidhu’s Release?
Fifty-nine-year-old Sidhu’s supporters had assembled outside the prison since morning to accord him a grand welcome upon his release and they could be heard chanting ‘Navjot Sidhu zindabad’.
Sidhu is a former Punjab Congress president and a former state minister.
Several Congress leaders, including Amritsar MP Gurjit Aujla, former state party chiefs Shamsher Singh Dullo, Mohinder Singh Kaypee and Lal Singh, former MLA Navtej Singh Cheema, Ashwani Sekhri and Sukhwinder Singh Danny, were seen waiting outside the jail.
‘Dhol’ players were also been arranged by his supporters standing outside the jail to welcome the cricketer-turned-politician.
The ‘Warring’ Camp
Amid Sidhu’s return, who is often known for his unpredictable nature, speculation is on on what this will mean for the Congress party after the drubbing it received in the latest Punjab elections and the latest conviction and disqualification of its leader Rahul Gandhi.
As per a report by Indian Express, there is ‘no love lost’ between Punjab Congress head Amarinder Singh Raja ‘Warring,’ and his predecessor Sidhu.
Sidhu has made no secret of his feelings for Warring, apparently refusing to meet with him when he visited him in jail, says the report. Previously, Sidhu publicly expressed his displeasure after Warring removed him as Punjab Congress chief in April 2022, following the Congress’s disaster in the Assembly elections. He left the formal gathering commemorating Warring’s ascension quickly and refused to join the other leaders on stage.
The factionalism, particularly the open feuds between Sidhu and former CM Amarinder Singh, was thought to be one of the reasons for the Congress’s defeat to the Aam Aadmi Party in the 2022 Assembly elections. Even after the fighting forced Amarinder out of the Congress and into the arms of the BJP, Sidhu felt spurned by the Congress for selecting Dalit face Charanjit Singh Channi as the substitute CM and continuing to campaign with Channi as the CM face, argued the Indian Express report.
A New Man?
A Congress leader had told News18 in November last year that party leaders are hopeful that Sidhu’s entry back into Punjab politics could throw up interesting political equations in the state. “Party leaders are waiting for his next move as well whenever he comes out. What decision he takes on his political future is being awaited,” they had said. Read the full report
Following the Punjab Congress’ poor performance in this year’s assembly elections, Sidhu resigned as state unit chief before Punjab affairs incharge Harish Chaudhary became aware of new PPCC chief Raja Warring writing to the party high command about his indiscipline and alleged anti-party activities. The state unit has filed charges against him, accusing him of prioritising himself over the party.
In jail, Sidhu also embarked on a strict diet because of his conditions like embolism and a liver ailment. “He can have berries, papaya, guava, double-toned milk and food items which do not have fibre and carbohydrates,” officials had said after Sidhu was jailed.
The leader also spent at least four hours meditating, two hours practising yoga and doing exercises, two to four hours reading, and slept for only four hours, an Indian Express report said.
The leader apparently even shed 34 kilos during his time in jail, and now weighs 99 kg, at 6 feet 2 inches.
After he was released, Sidhu called Rahul Gandhi a ‘revolutionary leader’. “Rahul Gandhi is a revolutionary leader. I know that the Centre is doing it deliberately to target him and the other Opposition leaders. But, irrespective of all odds, I stand firmly in support of both Rahul and Priyanka,” he said.
As per a report by DNA, Sidhu did not immediately respond to the row concerning Amritpal Singh, instead stating that he will face the press and speak about the state of law and order in Punjab soon. The leader also said that he will visit Sidhu Moosewala’s house and speak about the law and order situation in Punjab from there.
It remains to be seen what political storm Sidhu, known for his unpredictable nature, will kick up in these currently unpredictable circumstances for the Congress.
With inputs from PTI
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