Punjab: Gangster-turned Politician Gurpreet Sekhon joins AAP, despite jailbreak conviction and long criminal record

The political entry of Gurpreet Singh Sekhon took place at a public rally in Zira, Ferozepur, organised by Sekhon. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann formally welcomed him into the Aam Aadmi Party and presented him with a siropa.

 

Zira MLA Naresh Kataria was also present at the event.

 

Sekhon, who is from Mudki in Ferozepur, has in recent years tried to present himself as a social worker after spending years facing criminal cases and imprisonment.

 

His entry into AAP has already triggered speculation that he could play a larger political role in the Ferozepur-Zira belt ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.

 

 

Sekhon has been trying to build a new image around social and political work since his release from jail.

 

His family members won Zila Parishad seats in the 2025 elections with support from the Shiromani Akali Dal. Sekhon later campaigned for AAP candidates during Nagar Panchayat elections in Mudki and Mamdot.

 

At September 6th event, Sekhon also honoured Mann with a siropa and a kirpan.

 

His formal entry into AAP, however, has brought his criminal record back into focus.

 

According to police records in various media reports, around 47 criminal cases have been registered against Sekhon over the years.

 

The cases do not all have the same outcome. Some have reportedly ended in acquittal or have otherwise been disposed of, while his conviction in the Nabha jailbreak case is currently under appeal.

 

A 2023 court report noted that Sekhon had been booked in 13 FIRs by the time of the Nabha jailbreak trial, including cases related to murder and attempt to murder.

 

After joining AAP, Sekhon said that all the cases against him had been disposed of.

 

However, his 10-year sentence in the Nabha jailbreak case remains part of an ongoing appeal, with the conviction having been suspended by the High Court.

 

 

 

The most serious case against Sekhon is linked to the Nabha high-security jail break of November 27, 2016.

 

On that day, a group of armed men attacked the high-security prison in Nabha, Punjab, and helped six inmates escape. Those who fled included Sekhon, gangster Vicky Gounder, Kulpreet alias Neeta Deol, Amandeep Dhotiyan and Khalistan Liberation Force chief Harminder Singh Mintoo.

 

Police found that Sekhon had played a key role in planning the jailbreak from inside the prison. He was arrested again on February 12, 2017, from Dhudike in Moga.

 

The case involved charges under several provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including attempt to murder, dacoity, criminal conspiracy and offences relating to obstructing public servants. The Arms Act and other special laws were also invoked during the investigation.

 

In March 2023, a Patiala court convicted 22 accused in the case. Sekhon was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

 

The trial court convicted him under provisions including IPC sections relating to dacoity, attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy, as well as provisions of the Arms Act. However, the court did not sustain the UAPA charges against him.

 

In November 2023, the Punjab and Haryana High Court suspended Sekhon's conviction while his appeal was being heard. He is currently out on bail in connection with the case.

 

Sekhon's name has also been closely linked to the murder of gangster Sukhvir Singh alias Sukha Kahlwan in 2015.

 

Kahlwan was shot dead while being transported in police custody. Police had named Sekhon as one of the prime accused and arrested him in March 2016. He was lodged in Nabha jail when the jailbreak took place later that year.

 

In February 2019, a Kapurthala court acquitted eight accused, including Sekhon, citing a lack of sufficient evidence.

 

 

Over the years, police and media reports have linked Sekhon with several prominent criminal networks in Punjab, including those associated with Jaipal, Shera Khubban and Vicky Gounder.

 

More recently, in February 2025, Punjab's Anti-Gangster Task Force announced the arrest of four men whom it described as associates of the "Gurpreet Sekhon gang" in connection with the murder of Satinder Singh alias Satti in Bhai Rupa, Bathinda. The police statement named the four arrested men as associates; it did not name Sekhon as an accused in that murder.

 

 

 

Sekhon also came under scrutiny during the 2025 local-body election campaign.

 

In December that year, Ferozepur police detained him under Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), describing the action as preventive.

 

The matter reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which ordered his immediate release and found the detention apparently illegal.

 

 

Bhagwant Mann defended Sekhon's entry into AAP without focusing on his past criminal cases.

 

Mann argued that people can change and that someone who chooses a different path and works for society should be given an opportunity.

 

He also used the occasion to highlight his government's action against drugs and organised crime, claiming that thousands of drug traffickers and gangsters had been arrested during the AAP government's tenure.

 

 

The induction immediately drew criticism from the Opposition.

 

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, along with former MLA Kulbir Singh Zira, staged a black-flag protest against Sekhon's entry into the ruling party.

 

Congress leaders accused the AAP government of bringing people with criminal backgrounds into mainstream politics. They argued that political parties should not give legitimacy to individuals whose names have been associated with serious criminal cases.

 

The controversy is likely to continue as Punjab moves towards the 2027 Assembly elections.

 

The political stakes could become even higher if AAP eventually considers him for an electoral role in the 2027 Assembly polls.