New Delhi, May 14

Former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Rajouri Garden Jarnail Singh died of Covid-related complications here on Friday morning. He was in the ICU at a Delhi hospital for over nine days.

Jarnail had notably resigned from his seat in the Delhi Assembly to contest the 2017 Assembly poll in Punjab. He contested the high-profile Lambi seat against Parkash Singh Badal and Capt Amarinder Singh. Badal won the seat.

Jarnail, a former journalist, had quit his job after he hurled a shoe at the then Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in 2009 at a press conference. He was angry that Chidambaram had welcomed the clean chit to his party colleagues – Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar — in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. Jarnail was taken into custody, however, the Home Minister did not press for charges and asked the journalist be released.

A survivor of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Jarnail was a resident of Lajpat Nagar in Delhi. He authored a book titled ‘I accuse: The Anti-Sikh Violence of 1984’, detailing several unknown aspects.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia condoled his demise. “Deeply saddened by the untimely demise of former Delhi MLA Sh Jarnail Singh. May God bless his soul. He will always be fondly remembered for his contributions to society,” Kejriwal tweeted. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh tweeted: “My condolences to his family and followers in their hour of grief. May God grant him eternal peace.” — TNS