Balkaur Singh, father of Sidhu Moose Wala, to contest 2027 Punjab Assembly elections from Mansa
Chandigarh: Balkaur Singh, father of the late Punjabi singer and politician Sidhu Moose Wala, has announced his intention to contest the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections from the Mansa constituency.
Speaking at the Congress-led 'Samvidhan Bachao Rally' in Mansa, Singh declared that his decision was motivated by an unyielding quest for justice for his son, who was shot dead on May 29, 2022. The announcement comes just ahead of the third anniversary of Moose Wala’s assassination, which remains a source of public outrage and controversy.
"My son was the pride of Punjab. But even after nearly three years, justice remains elusive," Singh told reporters. "I will contest from Mansa in 2027 to strengthen this fight from within the system."
Singh has squarely blamed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government for the lack of progress in the investigation. He alleged that those responsible for his son's murder have been shielded by the administration and slammed the state government for the deteriorating law and order situation.
Particularly scathing in his remarks against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Singh questioned the failure to apprehend Goldy Brar, the alleged mastermind behind Moose Wala’s killing. "Murders are happening in broad daylight. What kind of justice system is this?" he asked, referring to the increasing frequency of violent crimes in the state.
The Mansa constituency, already symbolically charged due to Moose Wala's 2022 electoral bid under the Congress banner, is now back in the political spotlight. Though Moose Wala lost the 2022 election from Mansa, his father’s candidature is being seen as both an emotional and strategic move by the Congress.
Congress Punjab President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring extended full support to Singh, calling the decision a “courageous step” that reflects a family’s deep-rooted desire for justice and reform.
Public reactions to Singh’s announcement have been mixed. While many on social media hailed his resolve, others accused him of politicizing his son's legacy. Singh and his wife, Charan Kaur, who recently welcomed a child through IVF, remain active in public life.
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Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
