KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
Pro-Khalistan graffiti and slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi were found on the pillars of Karol Bagh and Jhandewalan Metro stations in New Delhi on Sunday, news agency ANI reported.
The graffiti and slogans have now been removed by the Delhi Police. A First Information Report (FIR) has also been lodged concerning the case.
According to news agency ANI, the police have also approached authorities at the two metro stations for CCTV footage.
Reportedly, the slogans were written by supporters of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), a banned Sikh separatist group based in the United States.
A security guard at a building close to the Karol Bagh Metro station told ANI that he noticed the writing in black paint on the pillars of the metro station on Sunday morning.
"I came to duty at 8 am and saw that something was written in black colour on the pillars of the metro station. A huge crowd had gathered there and was reading the slogans," Bajrangi, the security guard, said.
Earlier in January, slogans and graffiti supporting Khalistan were found on the boundary wall of a government school in the capital's Uttam Nagar area and on a pillar in the Nihar Vihar area.
At the time, a senior police officer had said the graffiti reading 'SJF, January 26, Khalistan' was painted on the pillar by an unidentified person in a very secluded area.
"The area where the graffiti has been painted is very secluded, and hardly anyone goes there," the officer had said.
The incident came ahead of the Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun's threats for the 75th Republic Day. Pannun had warned about hoisting the Khalistani flag in Delhi on January 26.
Prior to that, he had released a video in which he threatened to attack Parliament on or before December 13, the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attacks.
The Central government has banned Pannun's SFJ – a group campaigning to establish Khalistan carved out of India -- as an "unlawful association" in 2019, citing its involvement in "anti-national and subversive" activities.
The group has also been pushing for “Referendum 2020” for the self-determination of Sikhs as part of its separatist agenda.
Pannun has been on NIA's radar since 2019 when the probe agency lodged its first case against the terrorist, who has been playing a major role in promoting and commissioning terror acts and activities.