Dhian Singh Mand (born 3 May 1961) is a

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

politician who has been serving as the

Sarbat Khalsa Sarbat Khalsa (lit. meaning ''all the Khalsa''; Punjabi: ( Gurmukhi) pronunciation: ), was a biannual deliberative assembly (on the same lines as a Parliament in a Direct democracy) of the Sikhs held at Amritsar in Punjab during the 18th cent ...

-appointed acting

jathedar of the Akal Takht The Jathedar of the Akal Takht () is the head of the Akal Takht and head of the Sikhs worldwide. The jathedar has the de facto power as the supreme spokesperson of the Khalsa to Summons, summon, trial, try and sentence (law), sentence any person ...

since 2015 due to the imprisonment of its permanent jathedar Jagtar Singh Hawara.

Early life

Dhian Singh Mand was born on 3 May 1961 in Sedia Ka Ruhila,

Firozpur Firozpur, (pronunciation: ɪroːzpʊr also known as Ferozepur, is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in the Firozpur District of Punjab, India. After the Partition of India in 1947, it became a border town on the India–Pakistan bor ...

Punjab, India Punjab () is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. Forming part of the larger Punjab, Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, the state is bordered by the States and union territories of India, Indian states ...

. He is the son of Ajaib Singh Mand and completed his

matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used no ...

at Government High School, Noorpur Sethiean.

Political career

In 1989, Dhian Singh Mand achieved a surprising victory by over 200,000 votes in the Firozepur constituency during the Indian general elections. Mand, who was relatively unknown at the time, defeated prominent figures such as

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

leader Jagmeet Singh Brar and

Janata Dal Janata Dal () was an List of political parties in India, Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Lok Dal, Indian National Congress (Jagjivan), and the Jan Morcha on 11 October 1988—the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Na ...

leader

Devi Lal Devi Lal (25 September 1914 – 6 April 2001) was an Indian statesman and politician who briefly served as the deputy prime minister of India from 1990 to 1991 and previously from 1989 to 1990. Lal emerged as a prominent advocate for rural and ...

. His success was attributed to endorsement from the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), as well as the influence of the

martyrdom A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In colloqui ...

of three of his brothers in police encounters.

Notes

References

1961 births Living people Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) politicians Independent politicians in India People from Firozpur district {{Sikhism-stub