Sangrur, Mar 25: Police today detained Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann following his threats to disrupt Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani`s Yatra in Punjab, but supporters of the hardline sikh leader vowed to honour his pledge. Mann, who is seeking reelection to the Lok Sabha from here, was taken into custody at Dirba in Sangrur district. Union Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), a BJP ally, is his main rival. DIG (Patiala range) Iqbalpreet Singh Sahota said Mann was detained under sections 107 and 151 of the IPC soon after he addressed an election rally. He was taken into preventive custody as he had threatened to stop Advani`s yatra from passing through Punjab, police said. Following Mann`s detentions, his party general secretaries Jagmohan Singh and Charan Singh Lohara in a statement in Chandigarh vowed to stop Advani`s journey describing it as a ``march of mephistopheles and his followers``.

The party leaders alleged five of their other senior colleagues were also taken into custody.
The statement alleged that the detentions were carried out at the ``directions of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee``.
Mann`s supporters also objected to inviting Advani to participate in the ongoing ``kar Sewa (construction)`` at the Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar.
A report from Jalandhar attributed to an official spokesman said 17 SAD (Amritsar) activists were detained in that district.
Bureau Report