New Dehli: After ‘Khalistan’ flags were found tied on the Himachal Assembly main gate and walls, Chief Minister Jairam Thakur on Sunday said that he has directed the police to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident, adding that those behind the incident would not be spared.
Notably, the police have also filed an FIR under sections 153-A, 153-B IPC, and section 3 of HP Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1985. In the FIR, section 13 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) has also been added.
The police said Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, General Counsel to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has been made the main accused in the case.
Section 13 of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) has been added in the FIR. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, General Counsel to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has made the main accused in the case, the police added.
— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2022
Speaking to reporters here today, the Chief Minister said, “The state government has directed the police to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a DIG rank officer. This six-member SIT will find each and every detail of the case and will coordinate with the state and central agencies.” “FIR has been registered against whoever tied Khalistan flags and wrote Khalistan outside the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly in Dharamshala today. The investigation has been initiated. Our efforts are to nab them as soon as possible. Strict action will be taken against the accused. We have been observing for some days that some powers from behind are carrying out such incidents. They will not be successful or spared,” he added.
Thakur also hinted out to hand over the case to central agencies but the decision will be taken only after some input from the SIT.
On the allegation of the Congress, he said “At this point of time he would not answer any political comment on the matter but the case would be taken to a logical end.”
Thakur said that the government will review the security along the borders with various states.
His remarks came after the Superintendent of Police, Kangra, suspected the hands of “some tourists from Punjab” in the incident.
Notably, Himachal Pradesh is a hilly state that attracts tourists from various parts of India. The state shares its borders with Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, and Punjab.
Speaking to ANI, Thakur said, “I condemn the incident. I urge the people of the state to maintain peace. Action will be taken against the perpetrators. We will soon review the security system at our borders with other states.”
The Chief Minister further informed that an FIR has been registered following the incident and a probe has been ordered to nab the culprits.
“The incident is unfortunate and I have ordered a probe. An FIR has also been registered and we are trying to catch the culprits,” he said.
Thakur said that the culprits took the advantage of the deployment of the police in the interior of the Assembly campus and put up the flags on the walls and gate.
“It is being said that the incident took place at night. The police are deployed in the interior of the Vidhan Sabha campus since it is very large. So the poster was put up on the wall and the main gate of the Assembly. The CCTV footage is being probed to get a clue about the culprits,” the Chief Minister said.
Earlier, ‘Khalistan’ flags were found tied on the main gate and boundary wall of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly in Dharamshala on Sunday morning.
Soon after the incident came to light, a police official informed that the flags were removed from the gates and walls.
Superintendent of Police, Kangra, Khushal Sharma said, “It might have happened late night or early morning today. We have removed the Khalistan flags from the Vidhan Sabha gate. It could be an act of some tourists from Punjab.”
