Click to play videoNew Delhi: An act of momentary madness, by his own admission has propelled Jarnail Singh, a not-so-well known journalist to the centre stage of politics.
Jarnail Singh, a journalist of the daily Dainik Jagran flung a shoe at Home Minister P Chidambaram and made the nation sit up in alarm.
Jarnail Singh, a Sikh himself says that his act may have been wrong but the cause remains real. Singh was upset like many in his community that the Congress Party had given a poll ticket to the accused of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
The CBI had given a clean chit to Congressman Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar, and this was followed by the court’s acquittal of the two.
Now, as Jarnail Singh’s action has shown to the Congress party, as to how agitated the Sikh community is, it seems likely that the duo’s candidature may be withdrawn.
That makes many people ask: Who is Jarnail Singh?
Is he a firebrand journalist, a staunch Sikh or the new poster boy of the Sikh community's campaign for justice? Just who is Jarnail Singh?
Long before he made headlines as the man who hurled a shoe at the Home Minister, Jarnail Singh has cracked many stories on his beat - defence.
He started off as a reporter in Amar Ujala after a diploma in journalism from the YMCA.
The 35-year-old has been a correspondent with Dainik Jagran for over a decade. Friends and family say the agression Jarnail showed is unlike him.
“He is a very calm person and very religious too. He goes to temple every day. Must have been something that happened that place and time, that he was angered,” said Aman, a friend of the journalist mired in controversy.
Jarnail Singh too felt he could have reacted differently. “I admit my method was wrong, but the sentiment was right. I do not wish that any journalist should behave in this manner,” said the journo by his own admission.
“We who belong to the fraternity of journalist have a duty to say whatever we have in print, not to fling shoes in this manner,” said Jaishekhar of Hindustan.
“Outrageous!” said Omkar Singh of Rediff.
The police let Singh off without any charges. The Home Minister P Chidambaram himself didn’t make much of the incident.
But, ironically Jarnail Singh’s newpaper says they will take action against him.
The Youth Akali Dal has already announced a reward of 2,00,000 rupees for Singh.
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