Booked under UAPA, who is Amritpal Singh Bath: ‘Gangster’ drawing attention during Tarn Taran by-election campaign

The victim, Sonu Cheema alias Awan Kumar Khullar, a former sarpanch of Cheema village, was shot dead inside a salon in January 2024. The police later booked alleged gangster Amritpal Singh Bath, a resident of Mianpur village in the Tarn Taran assembly constituency, for the murder.

Neither Dhillon nor CM Mann named Bath during the exchange. Responding to Dhillon’s remarks, Mann assured the gathering of a strict stance on law enforcement. “Strict action will be taken against offenders, and no favours or commissions will be accepted,” he said.

Although both avoided mentioning Bath, Congress leaders, including state party president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, have repeatedly alleged that Bath is the son-in-law of Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) candidate Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa. Randhawa has three daughters, but only one – Kanchanpreet Kaur – has been visibly active in her campaign. Kanchanpreet Kaur has neither confirmed nor denied any family link to Bath.

In her statements to the media, Kanchanpreet Kaur has accused AAP candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu of “forcing Bath to flee the country.” She further alleged that Sandhu “used to carry Bath in his car” but later “turned against him and implicated him in false cases.” These accusations refer to the period when Sandhu was serving as an MLA during the SAD-BJP government.

According to police records, Bath has 17 criminal cases registered against him – three during the SAD-BJP government when Harmeet Singh Sandhu was MLA, 12 under the Congress government (2017-2022), and two more in 2024, including the murder of Sonu Cheema. The latter cases were lodged before Sandhu joined the AAP.

In September 2019, Bath was also booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for alleged links with the banned Khalistan Zindabad Force. The police arrested two accomplices – Harjeet Singh and Shamsher Singh – from his native village Mianpur. The arrests led to the seizure of “six weapons, including one 9 mm pistol, four .32 calibre pistols, and a .32 revolver,” along with live ammunition and mobile phones. The police alleged that the group, including Bath and others identified as Shubhdeep Singh, Randeep Singh, Goldy, and Ashu from Karnal, was “planning a major terror attack in Punjab”.

Congress leaders have also accused Bath of “making threatening calls to sarpanches in Tarn Taran” to compel them to vote for Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa.

Political observers note that Randhawa’s political prominence grew following the murder of Sonu Cheema, an influential yet controversial local figure with his own record of serious criminal cases.

A local sympathiser of Bath commented, “Sonu Cheema had created fear among people. That fear disappeared after his murder. It gave Bath the opportunity to mobilise local leaders under the ‘Azad Group,’ which later contested panchayat elections and won in several villages.” The sympathiser added that the group “supported Waris Punjab De head Amritpal Singh in the parliamentary election,” where he secured “a lead of around 20,000 votes from the Tarn Taran assembly segment.”

Encouraged by that momentum, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), after losing Harmeet Singh Sandhu to AAP, fielded former school principal Randhawa as their candidate.

Meanwhile, Kanchanpreet Kaur, 32, has consistently “avoided clarifying her relationship” with Amritpal Singh Bath. Her election affidavit as a covering candidate for her mother does not mention her spouse’s name.

The Tarn Taran Assembly constituency fell vacant after the death of sitting AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal in June 2025. The bypoll for the seat will be held on November 11.

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