Amritsar Police arrest 2 over pro-Khalistan graffiti, probe US links

Amritsar Police arrested two men during the intervening night of September 25 and 26 for allegedly painting pro-Khalistan slogans and "Referendum 2020" text at Hall Road and Bhandari Bridge, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jaskaran Singh Teja stated on Saturday.

DCP Teja noted that law enforcement tracked down the incident within five hours and apprehended the suspects.

The two arrestees were identified as Arshdeep and Manoj. Authorities also seized their mobile phones, which reportedly held evidence connected to the crime.


Also read: After excluding Gen-Z from voting rights, EC trying to cover up with youth camps: Congress

DCP Teja disclosed that three additional individuals have been named in the case, including two US-based individuals—one identified as a white man and the other allegedly tied to Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the head of the banned group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).

Pannun, whom the Union Home Ministry declared a designated terrorist in 2020, has also been booked in this matter, according to the DCP.

“We traced this incident in just 5 hours, arrested two men and collected their mobile phones, which had all the evidence,” Teja said.

The DCP explained that Arshdeep originally reached out to a US-based individual via Snapchat, who then introduced him to Pannun.

“Arshdeep talked to the white guy on Snapchat. He then later connected him with Gurpatwant Pannu,” he said.

DCP Teja mentioned that both arrested youths, who are Amritsar locals of similar age, were allegedly lured with financial rewards and promises of moving abroad. He added that one suspect is related to Pannun, while the other is his friend.

Also read: Coast Guard rescues 7 crew members from damaged boat off Kutch coast

“Pannu motivated these two boys to go abroad by tempting them with money,” Teja said.

“Those kids didn’t get any money, nor will they get the chance to go abroad. They’ve been trapped in this crime and will have to suffer the pain of serving a sentence,” he added.

Teja emphasized that the objective behind spraying these slogans was to disturb public peace and undermine national integrity.

The DCP elaborated on the intended political message of the graffiti.

"They wanted to send a message to the Governor of America and the US Ambassador that India is not India, but Khalistan. The intention is to disrupt the unity and integrity of India,” he said.

Officers retrieved the mobile device used to film and transmit footage of the graffiti after it was painted. The DCP noted that the perpetrators were directed to write the slogans and forward a video as proof of completion.

“They had asked them to write it down and send the video to them, and then they would call them out and fulfil the money-related matter,” he said.

The DCP confirmed that the confiscated phone contained evidence of the alleged operation and that the clip circulated across social media platforms matched the recording taken by the suspects.