Patiala man held for writing pro-Khalistan slogans in Karnal

Karnal police said that the accused had written slogans on the direction of a US-based man, who had contacted them on WhatsApp call and promised to pay $1,000

Karnal police on Monday said they have arrested a Punjab-based man for his alleged involvement in writing pro-Khalistan slogans on the walls of two education institutions in the city on June 20.

Some pro-Khalistan slogans were found written on the wall of a college and a school on June 20 and later, an audio message, purportedly by Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, the US-based founder of the SFJ, did the rounds on the social media platforms. (HT file photo)

The arrested man has been identified as Manjeet of Duladi village in Patiala. The police said that another accused, Resham Singh, a resident of Barnala, was still at large.

A police spokesperson said the accused was arrested by a team led by Assandh ASP Rajpurohit from Gurditpur village of Patiala on Sunday.

He said the accused was produced in a court, which sent him to five-day police remand for further investigation.

The police said that the accused had written slogans on the direction of a US-based man, who contacted them on WhatsApp and promised to pay $1,000.

Some pro-Khalistan slogans were found written on the wall of a college and a school on June 20 and later, an audio message, purportedly by Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, the US-based founder of the banned Sikh for Justice (SFJ), did the rounds on the social media platforms.

The police had registered an FIR under sections 153A and 120-B of the IPC and relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act at the Civil Lines police station.