The Akali Dal (Mann) is a political party based in Punjab state, India (Associate Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology 3 Nov. 2005), and is a faction of the Shiromani Akali Dal political party (ibid.; The Tribune 20 March 2000), the main political organization of India's Sikh community (Political Parties of the World 2005, 298; ibid. 2002, 246; Associate Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology 3 Nov. 2005). In sources consulted for this Response, the Akali Dal (Mann) party is also referred to as the Shiromani Akali Dal (Mann) party (ibid.; Press Trust of India 19 Feb. 2002; ibid. 25 Mar. 2004; ibid. 6 Sept. 2000; The Times of India 25 Mar. 2004; ibid. 14 Aug. 2000), and by the abbreviations SAD (M) (India n.d.b.; Press Trust of India 24 Sept. 2004; ibid. 19 Feb. 2002) and SAD (Mann) (ibid.; NDTV.com 13 Feb. 2002).

The leader of the Akali Dal (Mann) party is Simranjit Singh Mann (India n.d.a; Press Trust of India 17 Apr. 2004; ibid. 24 Sept. 2004; ibid. 14 June 2005; Rediff.com 14 June 2005; Hindustan Times 14 June 2005; The Times of India 14 Aug. 2000), a former senior Punjab police officer (East Bay Express 15 June 2005; PUCL 30 Oct. 2005; The Times of India 24 Feb. 2003; ibid. 14 Aug. 2000). Media reports also name Simranjit Singh Mann as the leader of another faction of the Akali Dal, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) (IAN 24 Sept. 2004), which is also referred to as Akali Dal (Amritsar) (Press Trust of India 24 Mar. 2004; Rediff.com 14 June 2005).

In 2000, the party had two elected members (The Times of India 14 Aug. 2000), and although six Akali Dal (Mann) candidates ran in the 2004 national elections, the party did not win any seats in the parliament or state assembly (India n.d.a).

Activities of the Akali Dal (Mann)

The Akali Dal (Mann) advocates recognition of the Sikh "right to self-determination and an independent Sikh state" (Associate Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology 3 Nov. 2005; Voices for Freedom 23 Oct. 2005; Press Trust of India 6 Sept. 2000). Details of the activities of the Akali Dal (Mann) were scarce among the sources consulted for this Response, but media reports suggested one principle of the party is protection of minority group interests (Press Trust of India 19 Feb. 2002), including lower class Dalits (The Times of India 14 Aug. 2000). The activities of Simranjit Singh Mann figured prominently in a survey of news articles for the time period 2000 to 2005, some of which included "provocative" speeches (Rediff.com 14 June 2005), crossing into Pakistan on a pilgrimage to a Sikh shrine despite the Indian federal government's ban on such travel (Rediff.com 11 Apr. 2002; NDTV.com 12 Apr. 2002), as well as demands for a government apology for Operation Bluestar (The Times of India 16 May 2002), "anti-Sikh riots" in 1984 (AI 16 Aug. 2005), the withdrawal of troops on the Indian and Pakistani border (Press Trust of India 5 May 2002), the release of the Tamil Nadu state political party Marumalarchi Dravida Munnet ra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary from prison (NDTV.com 28 Mar. 2003) and a lift on the ban of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) (The Hindu 10 Apr. 2003).

One news article reported that in September 2004, Akali Dal (Mann) "activists" allegedly threw stones and waved black flags to Bharatiya Janata Party leader Uma Bharti as she entered Punjab state on a march (Press Trust of India 24 September 2004).

Treatment of Akali Dal (Mann) Members

Referring to Simranjit Singh Mann and the Akali Dal (Mann) party, the Delhi-based human rights organization People's Union for Civil Liberties commented, "there is no prejudice against him or his party in the State" (30 Oct. 2005). An associate professor of social and cultural anthropology and specialist in Indian affairs stated in 3 November 2005 correspondence to the Research Directorate that state and federal government treatment of Akali Dal (Mann) members is "often reasonable, but also can be coated with suspicion" and that society "often tends to be suspicious" of Akali Dal (Mann) members. This professor continued that "[i]n instances where members ... are suspected of extremism or alleged to have links with extremists, state treatment is reportedly severe, including illegal detention and torture" (ibid.).

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International annual reports for the period 2000 through 2004 (HRW 2005; ibid. 2004; ibid. 2003; ibid. 2002; ibid. 2001; AI 2005; ibid. 2004; ibid. 2003; ibid. 2002; ibid. 2001), as well as the United States Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for the period 2000 through 2002 fail to mention the Akali Dal (Mann) party, members of the party or the leader of the party, Simranjit Singh Mann (Country Reports 2000 23 Feb. 2001; Country Reports 2001 4 Mar. 2002; Country Reports 2002 31 Mar. 2003). However, Country Reports 2003 and Country Reports 2004 state that government officials detained Akali Dal (Mann) leader Simranjit Singh Mann in February 2003 and in February 2004 (Country Reports 2004 28 Feb. 2005, Sec. 1.d.; Country Reports 2003 25 Feb. 2004, Sec. 1d) under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Prevention Act (TADA) for making "an inflammatory speech" in 1991, in which he allegedly called for a separate state of Khalistan (Country Reports 2004 28 Feb. 2005, Sec. 1.d.; Press Trust of India 12 Nov. 2002), a homeland for Sikhs (Rediff.com 22 Feb. 2003). The court charged the Akali Dal (Mann) leader with Section 124A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 4(2) of TADA for his activities in 1991 (Times of India 24 Feb. 2003; Press Trust of India 12 Nov. 2002), but the case was closed in April 2002 (ibid.) and then reopened by the Supreme Court in November 2003, since the "proper procedure" had not been followed (ibid.; Times of India 24 Feb. 2003).

Police arrested Simranjit Singh Mann again in March 2004 (Rediff.com 24 Mar. 2004), along with other members of the Akali Dal (Mann) party in Punjab state, due to "breach of peace" along Deputy Prime Minister Advani's pilgrimage route (Press Trust of India 25 Mar. 2004; ibid. 24 Mar. 2004; NDTV.com 24 Mar. 2004; IAN 24 Sept. 2004). Another report on the same incident stated that Punjab police "detained" hundreds of Akali Dal (Mann) "workers" in police cells and arrested others prior to Deputy Prime Minister Advani's arrival in Punjab (Times of India 25 Mar. 2004). The general secretary of the Akali Dal (Mann) party reported that police had raided party members' houses and "many" party members had been arrested (ibid.). Arrests connected to this event were made in Khanna, Fatehgarh Sahab, Batala, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Nawanshahar, Sangrur, Ludhiana, Jagraon, Ropar and Moga districts (ibid.; NDTV.com 24 Mar. 2004). Country Reports 2004 states that Simranjit Singh Mann was released two days following his March arrest (28 Feb. 2005, Sec. 1.d.).

In June 2005, Punjab police arrested Simranjit Singh Mann in the Sangrur district of Punjab in connection with four different cases of sedition by Punjab police (Rediff.com 14 June 2005; The Press Trust of India 14 June 2005; Hindustan Times 14 June 2005), including allegedly demanding an independent Khalistan (Press Trust of India 14 June 2005; HindustanTimes 14 June 2005), delivering inflammatory speeches on the anniversary of Operation Bluestar (ibid.) and "waging a war against India" (Voices of Freedom Asia 23 Oct. 2005; Rediff.com 14 June 2005). Akali Dal (Mann) executive committee member Bachan Singh Bains and Ropar district youth wing president Amandeep Singh Abiana were also arrested and sent to judicial custody (Hindustan Times 14 June 2005). Additional information on the treatment of members of Akali Dal (Mann) could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Amnesty International (AI). 16 August 2005. "India: Victims of Anti-Sikh Riots Face Further Delays." (ASA 20/031/2005) http://web.amnesty.org/library/print/ENGASA200312005 [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

_____. 2005. "India." Amnesty International Report 2005. http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/ind-summary-eng [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

_____. 2004. "India." Amnesty International Report 2004. http://web.amnesty.org/report2004/ind-summary-eng [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

_____. 2003. "India." Amnesty International Report 2003. http://web.amnesty.org/report2003/Ind-summary-eng [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

_____. 2002. "India." Amnesty International Report 2002. http://web.amnesty.org/report2002/asa/india!Open [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

_____. 2001. "India." Amnesty International Report 2001. http://web.amnesty.org/web/ar2001.nsf/webasacountries/INDIA?OpenDocument [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

Associate Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology, California Institute of Integral Studies. 3 November 2005. Correspondence.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2004. 28 February 2005. United States Department of State. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41740.htm [Accessed 28 Nov. 2005]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2003. 25 February 2004. United States Department of State. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2003/27947.htm [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2002. 31 March 2003. United States Department of State. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2002/18311.htm [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2001. 4 March 2002. United States Department of State. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2001/sa/8230.htm [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2000. 23 February 2001. United States Department of State. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/sa/717.htm [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

East Bay Express. 15 June 2005. Robert Gammon. "Opening Old Wounds: A New US Law Could Send Immigrant Torture Victims Back to Their Tormentors." http://www.eastbayexpress.com/issues/2005-06-15/news/feature_3.html [Accessed 25 Nov. 2005]

The Hindu. 10 April 2003. "Secure Vaiko Release, Mann Tells PM." http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2003/04/10/ [Accessed 22 Nov. 2005]

Hindustan Times. 14 June 2005. "Mann Arrested for Sedition." (NEXIS)

Human Rights Watch (HRW). January 2005. "India." World Report 2005. http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/01/13/india9824.htm [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

_____. 2004. World Report 2004. http://hrw.org/wr2k4/download/wr2k4.pdf [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

_____. 14 January 2003. "India." World Report 2003. http://www.hrw.org/wr2k3/asia6.html [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

_____. 2002. "India." World Report 2002. http://www.hrw.org/wr2k2/asia6.html [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

_____. December 2000. "India." World Report 2001. http://www.hrw.org/wr2k1/asia/india.html [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

India. N.d.a. Election Commission of India. "List of Contestants of Shiromani Akali Dal." http://archive.eci.gov.in/GE2004/pollupd/pc/candlwc/sad(m)pcnst.htm [Accessed 25 Nov. 2005]

_____. N.d.b. Government of Punjab. "Punjab Legislature." http://punjabgovt.nic.in/government/PunjabLegistature.htm

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Indo-Asian News Service (IAN). 24 September . 2004. "Black Flags Greet Uma Bharati in Punjab." (NEXIS)

New Dehli TV.com (NDTV.com). 24 March 2004. "Simranjit Singh Mann Arrested." http://www.ndtv.com/addons/printpage.asp?id=50966&callid=1&caption=undefined [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

_____. 28 March 2003. Sanjo Pinto. "Vaiko's Case Being Sent to Amnesty." http://www.ndtv.com/addons/printpage.asp?id=36447&callid=1&caption=undefined [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

_____. 12 April 2002. Swati Maheshwari. "Sikhs Denied Access to Pak Gurudwaras, Mann Protests." http://www.ndtv.com/addons/printpage.asp?id=23889&callid=1&caption=undefined [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

_____. 13 February 2002. "63% Voting in Punjab, Exit Polls Predict Cong Win." http://www.ndtv.com/addons/printpage.asp?id=8445&callid=0&caption=undefined [Accessed 22 Dec. 2005]

People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). 30 October 2005. Correspondence from the General Secretary.

_____. 13 February 2002. "A Short History of PUCL." http://www.pucl.org/history.htm [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

Political Parties of the World: 6th Edition. 2005. Edited by Bogdan Szajkowski. Farmington Hills, Michigan: John Harper Publishing.

Political Parties of the World: 5th Edition. 2002. Edited by Alan J. Day. Farmington Hills, Michigan: John Harper Publishing.

Press Trust of India. 14 June 2005. "Indian Sikh Leader Arrested on Sedition Charges." (NEXIS)

_____. 24 September 2004. "SAD (M) Activists Protest as Tiranga Yatra Enters Punjab." (NEXIS)

_____. 17 April 2004. "Court Allows Re-examination of Witnesses in Mann's Case." (NEXIS)

_____. 25 March 2004. "About 100 Akali Dal Activists Arrested on Advani's Route." (NEXIS)

_____. 24 March 2004. "Statewide Crackdown on Mann Supporters, 180 Held Ahead of Yatra." (NEXIS)

_____. 12 November 2002. "Mann Fails to Appear in TADA Case." (Factiva)

_____. 5 May 2002. "De-Escalate Tension - Mann Tells India, Pak." (Factiva)

_____. 19 February 2002. "SAD (M) to Stage Demo in Ayodhya Opposing Temple Construction." (Factiva)

_____. 6 September 2000. "SAD to Support Autonomy Resolution if Introduced - Mann." (Factiva)

Rediff.com. 14 June 2005. "Simranjit Singh Mann Held for Sedition." http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/jun/14onk.htm [Accessed 28 Sept. 2005]

_____. 24 March 2004. "Advani's Yatra: Mann Arrested." http://www.rediff.com/election/2004/mar/24pun.htm [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

_____. 22 February 2003. "TADA Charge Against MP S S Mann." http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/feb/22mann.htm [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

_____. 11 Apr. 2002. Onkar Singh. "Mann Goes to Pakistan Despite Centre's Ban." http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/apr/11mann.htm [Accessed 29 Nov. 2005]

The Tribune. 20 March 2000. Varinder Walia and Sushil Goyal. "Badal's Ouster May be Sought." http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20000320/main4.htm [Accessed 22 Dec. 2005]

Voices for Freedom Asia. 23 October 2005. Correspondence from the Senior Director.

The Times of India. 25 March 2004. Harpreet K. Kang. "Hundreds of Mann's Party Workers Held." (Factiva)

_____. 24 Feb. 2003. "Mann's Trial to Begin from March 25." (Factiva)

_____. 16 May 2002. "Congress in a Spot over Operation Bluestar." (Factiva)

_____. 14 August 2000. "Mann ki Tamanna." (Factiva)

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sources, including: Asian Human Rights Commission; British Broadcasting Corporation; Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, New York University; Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame; Freedom House; India Centre for Human Rights and the Law; Punjab Human Rights Organization; Sikh Human Rights Group UK; South Asia Books; South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre; United Nations Development Program India; United Kingdom India Country Report; Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization; Voices for Freedom-Asia; World Sikh Organization.