Gurugram police slaps SFJ chief with sedition charges

The FIR lodged at Bhondsi police station was filed under sections 124-A (sedition) and section 153-A of the Indian Penal Code and sections 10 (A)and 13 of the UAPA.

The Gurugram police on Thursday booked the chief of banned outfit ‘Sikhs for Justice (SFJ)’, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, on charges of sedition for allegedly indulging in unlawful activity by “openly supporting the secession of Punjab from the Union of India by inciting the Sikhs and in activities aimed at threatening the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of India and inciting ill-will and hatred against people of Haryana.” The Gurugram police have also have invoked the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against Pannun.

The complaint said that SFJ has been found to be indulging in activities that are prejudicial to the public order and the internal security of India. (Photo by Parveen Kumar / Hindustan Times)

The FIR lodged at Bhondsi police station was filed under sections 124-A (sedition) and section 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language etc) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 10 (A)and 13 of the UAPA on the basis of a complaint registered by Anand Kumar, in-charge of the technical division, Haryana Police’s Special Task Force (Headquarter) Bhondsi.

In the FIR, the complainant stated that he received information from a “secret source” that a pre-recorded audio-video message had been circulating on social media, in which Pannun, who identified himself as General Counsel of SFJ, allegedly blamed the Government of Haryana and the people of Haryana for “being inimical to the interests of Sikhs and Punjabis.”

“In the pre-recorded message, he claims that Haryana will be a part of Punjab when it becomes an independent country. He says that the people of Haryana will then have the option of either siding with Punjab as an independent country or of leaving the State and moving to other parts of India. He extorts the Sikhs from Haryana to take part in the voter registration for a so-called referendum to be held online on July 4, 2020,” reads the FIR.

The FIR also mentions that SFJ is a “pro-Khalistan organisation” based in the United States of America that has been declared to be an ‘Unlawful Association’ under the provisions of sections 3 (1) (3) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 by the union ministry of home affairs(MHA).

The complaint says, “SFJ has been found to be indulging in activities that are prejudicial to the public order and the internal security of India and that have the potential of disrupting peace, unity, and integrity of the country. SFJ is in close touch with militant organisations that support the violent form of extremism and militancy in Punjab and elsewhere and has a declared objective of carving out a sovereign Khalistan out of the territory of India.”

Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police, crime, said, “An FIR has been registered at Bhondsi police station. We will probe the contents of the complaint.”