Ex-YAD leader Johar found dead

Sources said that he had been depressed after being sidelined from SAD.

A former senior vice-president of the Youth Akali Dal (YAD) — who had served time for assaulting a assistant inspector general of police (AIG) — was found dead under mysterious circumstances at his residence in Ludhiana on Saturday. Maninder Pal Singh Johar alias Sunny was 46 years old.

He had gone to Amritsar to attend the Narendra Modi rally on Friday but when he did not get up on Saturday morning, his family took him to Raghunath Hospital in Ludhiana, where he was declared brought dead. Though police suspect that he may have died of a cardiac arrest, his viscera has been sent to the Kharar lab for chemical examination while his heart and lung have been sent to Rajindra Medical College in Patiala for histopathology.

Once a close aide of Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, Johar became infamous after being involved in the attack on AIG SS Mand at Johar’s pub, The Hub, on December 25, 2012. He was expelled by the Akali Dal and had fallen out with Majithia. Johar also remained behind bars for about seven months in the case before coming out on bail. While case was closed about two months back after a mutual compromise, Johar was no longer entertained by Majithia and had fallen off the political map.

Sources said that he had been depressed after being sidelined from SAD. His family has stakes in the sand mining business, hospitality and real estate sectors. His family members, however, remained tight-lipped about his Amritsar visit. Inquiry officer Navdeep Singh confirmed that Johar had come home at about 1 am and after that he had slept, but as per the family members he never woke up after that. Johar was cremated on Saturday afternoon.

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