Punjab man held for putting up Khalistan flags at Himachal assembly

Accused caught in Morinda, efforts on to arrest his accomplice for putting up Khalistan flags at Vidhan Sabha gate near Dharamshala on May 8

The special investigation team (SIT) of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday arrested one of the two accused of putting up Khalistan flags at the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha gate and scrawling graffiti on its boundary wall.

Khalistan flags were put up and graffiti esd scrawled at the Vidhan Sabha complex gate at Tapovan near Dharamshala on May 8. (HT file photo)

In a press statement, the police said that a team led by SIT in-charge Vimukt Ranjan raided a house at Morinda around 8.30am and rounded up Harbir Singh, alias Raju, 30, a resident of Ward No 1, Sugar Mill Road, Morinda in Rupnagar district.

The Himachal Pradesh Police team also raided the house of Paramjit Singh at Rurhki Heera village in Chamkaur Sahib of Rupnagar district but failed to arrest him as he had already fled.

Raju is being brought to Dharamshala and efforts are on to arrest his accomplice.

“One of the two people who put up Khalistan flags at the Vidhan Sabha gate has been arrested a few hours ago. The arrested accused is from Morinda in Punjab,” chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said in a statement.

Khalistan flags were put up at the Vidhan Sabha complex entry gate at Tapovan near Dharamshala on May 8.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannu of the banned pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) claimed responsibility for the act through an email sent to media houses.