Punjabi actress Sonia Mann justifies Hindu leader Suri's killing, but slams Amritpal Singh

Punjab actress Sonia Mann has attacked Amritpal Singh for not putting his weight behind Sandeep Singh, the killer of Hindu leader Sudhir Suri.

Punjab actress Sonia Mann triggered a controversy by defending the killing of Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Sudhir Suri by Sandeep Singh.

Speaking to Punjabi news channel named Rozana Spokesman, Mann said that the Shiv Sena leader deserved to be dead. "Sandeep ji killed Suri. He did a good job. One should not indulge in killing and violence, but killing Suri was necessary," Opindia quoted the actress as saying in the interview.

However, she slammed 'Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh for failing to put his weight behind the killer of Shiv Sena leader. "Singh was influenced by your speeches and your activities. What did you (Amritpal Singh) do for him. He was hurt that his close aide Lovepreet Toofan was in jail for three days, why didn't he raise his voice back when police held Sandeep Singh for murdering Suri?" she stated.

The actress-turned-activist accused Singh of being selfish and said that he has a weak ideology of Khalistan. She batted for the ideology of the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire Ranjit Singh.

"The ideas of Khalistan of both these leaders are as if two ends of one line. They can never meet. Raja Ranjit Singh aimed for an empire in which every person would be treated equally, education would be given importance there and there would be respect for all. Today what Amritpal Singh is fighting for is just power. He is a fanatic leader and has a different idea of what Khalistan should be," she said.

The 36-year-old actress then targeted the 'Waris Punjab De' chief for keeping his life private. "You say you have a private life. Fair. But then you portray yourself as a 'Sikh' leader? Our Sikh Guru had in the past sacrificed their respective families for religion. They didn't have any private life. Guru Gobind Singh ji sacrificed his four Sahibzadas to protect our culture and religion. He didn't discriminate. He said all are my Sahibzadas and I have to protect all. What is Amritpal Singh doing? Just spreading fear and fanaticism?" she questioned.

Suri was killed by Sandeep Singh in November 2022.

Suri was shot five times while he was taking part in a protest against the management of Gopal Mandir on Majitha Road - one of the busiest places in the city - after some broken idols of Hindu deities were allegedly found on the roadside, which he termed an act of sacrilege, according to a PTI report.

Sonia Mann further stated that Amritpal Singh was destroying Punjab's image with his pro-Khalistani slogans. "The recent Ajnala protests were the outcome of fanaticism. He jammed the Police station as his close aide was in jail. Where was he when Sandeep ji was jailed," she added.

Sonia Mann made her acting debut with Malayalam movie with 'Hide n' Seek' in 2012. She has worked in movies such as 'Teens', Punjabi film 'Haani', Hindi movie 'Kahin Hai Mera Pyar', etc. She has also appeared in numerous of music videos.

It has to be noted that her father was killed by Khalistanis in 1986 in Chinna Bagga in Amritsar district when she was just-week old.

Amritpal Singh, who became head of 'Waris Punjab De' after its founder, actor-activist Deep Sidhu, died in a road accident last year, was recently in the news after he and his supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke through barricades and barged into the Ajnala police station on the outskirts of the Amritsar city, extracting an assurance from the police that kidnapping case accused Lovepreet Singh will be released. During the incident last week, six policemen, including former Indian hockey player and now Superintendent of Police (SP) Jugraj Singh, suffered injuries.

After the Ajnala incident, the Bhagwant Mann-led government and the state police chief have come under fire from the opposition parties for caving to the radical preacher and not taking any action Amritpal and his supporters.