KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
Two persons were apprehended in Punjab by the Delhi Police in connection with writing pro-Khalistan messages and slogans on the walls of at least five Delhi Metro stations on August 27, officials said on Thursday.
Both the persons were tracked based on the CCTV footage near the station areas while further investigation is being carried out.
The pro-Khalistani slogans had appeared on the walls of five metro stations on Sunday morning.
The development comes days ahead of the scheduled G20 leaders’ summit to be held in the national Capital New Delhi on September 8-10.
Pro-Khalistan messages -- “Delhi Banega Khalistan” and “Khalistan Zindabad” -- were found on the walls of Shivaji Park, Madipur, Paschim Vihar, Udyog Nagar, and Maharaja Surajmal Stadium metro stadiums.
In a video circulating on social media, banned outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is based abroad and evading Indian law enforcement agencies, claimed responsibility of the incidents.
“India, the battle of G-20 at Pragati Maidan has started today... the true Khalistanis have put slogans across Metro stations Delhi...and this is a message to all G-20 nations,” he was heard saying in the video.
HT can’t independently verify the authenticity of the video.
A senior police officer, aware of the incident, said the graffitis were put on the walls in the early hours of August 27 when the metro train services and stations remain closed.
This is the second such incident reported in the city between January and August.
Last time before the Republic Day celebrations in January, objectionable pro-Khalistan slogans such as “Khalistan Zindabad”, “SFI”, “Vote For Khalistan” and “Referendum 2020” had appeared on walls in at least ten locations in western parts of Delhi.