Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jairam Thakur has strongly reacted after Khalistan flags were reportedly found tied on the main gate and boundary wall of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly in Dharamshala on Sunday morning.
Calling it a "cowardly incident", Thakur said it will be investigated quickly and strict action will be taken against the culprits.
"I condemn the cowardly incident of raising Khalistan flags at the gate of Dharamshala assembly complex in the night. There is only a winter session in this assembly, so there is a need for more security arrangements here during that time," he tweeted in Hindi.
"Taking advantage of this, this cowardly incident has been carried out, but we will not tolerate it. This incident will be investigated quickly and strict action will be taken against the culprits. I would like to tell those people that if you have the courage, then come out in the light of day, not in the dark of night," he added.
{{/usCountry}}"Taking advantage of this, this cowardly incident has been carried out, but we will not tolerate it. This incident will be investigated quickly and strict action will be taken against the culprits. I would like to tell those people that if you have the courage, then come out in the light of day, not in the dark of night," he added.
{{/usCountry}}Superintendent of police Kangra Khushal Sharma said the incident might have happened late at night or early morning.
"We have removed the Khalistan flags from the Vidhan Sabha gate. It could be an act of some tourists from Punjab. We are going to register a case today," news agency ANI quoted the SP as saying.
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Describing it as a "wake-up call", sub-divisional magistrate Dharamshala Shilpi Beakta a case will be registered under relevant sections of the Himachal Pradesh Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1985.
"This is like a wake-up call for us to work with more alertness," ANI quoted SDM as saying.
The incident comes days after Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannu called for hoisting the Khalistani flag in Shimla. Last week,
the Anti-Terrorist Front of India burnt the Khalistani flag outside the deputy commissioner's office.
Anti-Terrorist Front of India (ATFI) activists led by its national president Viresh Shandilaya and Himachal Pradesh unit chief Rajkumar Agarwal burnt the flag and raised slogans against the demands of Khalistan. They also waved the tricolour.