Two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters were injured, one critically, during a clash with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) members at the block development and panchayat office (BDPO) in Jalalabad, Fazilka district, on Saturday. Gunshots were fired during the confrontation.
The altercation occurred when SAD leader Vardev Singh Nonni Mann and his supporters arrived at the BDPO office, where AAP workers were also present. The dispute was linked to fears from Mann’s group that their candidate’s nomination for the rural body elections might be rejected, following a complaint from AAP-backed sarpanch candidate Mandeep Brar, who is contesting from Muhammadewala village. There are ongoing allegations against Mann’s camp regarding illegal land possession.
The situation escalated when Mandeep got into a heated argument with Mann’s group, leading to gunfire. Mandeep Brar was shot in the chest and was rushed to DMC in Ludhiana for advanced medical treatment, while another injured AAP worker, yet to be identified, sustained a gunshot wound to the hand and was sent to a hospital in Faridkot.
Fazilka SSP Varinder Singh Brar confirmed that the clash stemmed from a long-standing grudge between the two groups. Mandeep had filed a complaint accusing Mann’s camp of illegally occupying panchayat land for a private school, which led to the cancellation of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the school. A legal case is ongoing.
The police are in the process of filing charges against the accused, and an investigation is underway. Jalalabad MLA and AAP leader Jagdeep Kamboj Goldy visited the victims in the hospital, calling the incident “tragic and unfortunate.”
Meanwhile, Jasbir Singh Johal, the counsel for Nonni Mann, claimed that over 100 AAP supporters instigated the clash by attacking Mann’s group with stones, damaging their vehicle. Mann and his associates escaped unhurt. Attempts to contact Vardev Nonni Mann for a response were unsuccessful.
Nonni Mann is the son of the late SAD leader and three-time Ferozepur MP Zora Singh Mann. He previously contested from Guru Har Sahai, while his brother, Nardev Bobby Mann, ran in the recent MP elections as an SAD nominee from Ferozepur, both unsuccessfully.