Punjab encounter: Gangster Manpreet Mannu’s parents return home for son’s last rites

On Thursday, the cremation ground at Kussa village of Moga had turned into a fortress with deployment of a heavy police force, as everyone waited for the arrival of Mannu’s body.

After being killed on Wednesday, the police tried to contact Mannu’s parents for claiming his body and conducting the last rites. However, his parents could not be traced till Thursday morning. Later Mannu’s paternal uncle Ram Singh and village sarpanch Shinderpal Singh went to Amritsar to claim the body.

Gangster Manpreet Singh alias Mannu

However, in the evening Mannu’s parents returned home, said Moga SSP Gulneet Singh Khurana.

Mannu’s two brothers – Shamsher Singh and Gurdeep Singh — are currently lodged in Faridkot jail in an alleged drug peddling case.

Village sarpanch Shinderpal Singh said that life had become difficult for parents after Moosewala’s murder as police frequently started visiting the house in search of Mannu. “A notice was pasted outside their house and since then, everyone was scared. One day his parents just left and since then the house stayed locked. We don’t know where they had gone, but they returned today,” said the sarpanch.

Shinderpal then went on to claim that Mannu had humble beginnings and got into the world of crime after a clash occured in the village. “For many years, his father Sukhdev Singh worked in Dubai as a labourer. They are a Dalit family from the Mazhabi Sikh community. Mannu and his brothers used to work as carpenters in the village. Around a decade or so ago, there was a clash in the village in which a man died and Mannu was allegedly involved in it. Since then, there was no looking back for him. After he went to jail, he came in touch with gangsters and joined the Lawrence Bishnoi gang,” he said.

As per records available at the local Badni Kalan police station, Mannu had been booked in thirteen cases, including four for murder. The first case against him was registered in 2010. His brother Gurdeep Singh is booked in seven cases, including those under the NDPS Act and Arms Act. His other brother Shamsher Singh is booked in a drug peddling case.

Father Sukhdev Singh

Before turning into a dreaded “Lawrence Bishnoi gang sharpshooter’, villagers said Mannu, as well as his brothers, liked keeping to themselves and out of trouble.

“The three brothers were very good at carpentry. Mannu hardly spoke to anyone and stayed away from drugs. But then there was an incident that changed everything. A miscreant had attacked him inside his own house and in self-defence, Mannu hit him with a handpump. The miscreant died at the spot and Mannu went on jail, where he met hardcore criminals. Our village is angry over Moosewala killing, but they still feel that Mannu was forced into the world of crime because of that one murder that was not intentional. His brother Gurdeep got involved with him in crimes later. Shamsher, however, stayed clean as he was married,” said a village resident.

Around a month before Moosewala’s murder, in April this year, Mannu had allegedly shot dead his rival gangster Harjit Singh alias Penta in broad daylight at Mari Mustafa village in Baghapurana division of Moga. Penta was associated with the Devinder Bambiha gang, the arch rivals of Lawrence Bishnoi.
Mannu was booked for Penta’s murder after Chamkaur alias Beant, who was brought on production warrant from Ferozepur jail for questioning, revealed that “he got to know from Ferozepur jail inmates that gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar had sent their shooters — Mannu and Prem — to kill Harjit Singh Penta.”

It was also revealed that Mannu had a personal enmity with Penta as the latter had assaulted Mannu way back in 2017 when they were lodged in Faridkot jail. “Penta’s murder was a result of rivalry between the Bambiha and Bishnoi group members inside jail,” said a senior Moga police official.

On Thursday, till the filing of this report, Mannu’s paternal uncle, Ram Singh, claimed that they were yet to receive the body.
“We have made all arrangements for the cremation, but they are yet to start from Amritsar. Police wants the cremation to happen today itself even if late at night,” said a senior official.

Mannu’s father Sukhdev Singh said that they are small-time labourers who work hard to earn their livelihoods. “We do mazdoori, mehnat… It has all happened because of the government. Sarkaar de halaat hi maadey ho gaye… They just pick anyone and register FIRs against them. My son was a very able and skilled carpenter. He used to make beds like no one else can,” said the father, holding back his tears.

“Many years back, there was just a minor clash, like it usually happens in villages. But the rival party hired men to kill my son. They attacked my son and when my son acted in self-defence, the man died. After that, the police just registered FIRs after FIRs against my son and kept harassing him. We have not met him properly in the last two months or so. The last time he came home, he left after meeting us for a few minutes,” said the father.

Family further alleged that after Mannu had come to meet them for few minutes around two months back, police picked up entire family including women and slapped ‘false drug case’ on his two brothers for “possessing 60 narcotic tablets”.

Mannu’s mother, Harpal Kaur, too, claimed the government’s hand in turning her son into a gangster. “No child is ever born a gangster from his mother’s womb. The governments make them so,” she said.

“My son has been punished ruthlessly. I just request the government to allow my two other sons, who are in jail, to see the face of their brother for one last time,” she said.
“We had no enmity or link with Sidhu Moosewala. My son was only made a stooge, my son was framed in many cases earlier too. Even if a dog used to die, Manpreet was named in that case,” she said.
“I will be meeting him today after two months. He is coming to meet me today,” said the mother.