UAPA Tribunal upheld the ban on pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice in January 2020. Gurgaon police on Friday booked the chief of banned pro-Khalistan group ‘Sikhs for Justice’ (SFJ) Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on charges of sedition after he allegedly released a video asking people to raise the Khalistan flag at the offices of the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police in Haryana.
The police have also invoked the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against Pannun. The cops said that in the purported video, Pannun had stated that SFJ would launch the ‘Haryana Banega Khalistan’ campaign on April 29 to advocate for secession of the state from India through a referendum.
The police added that they had received a complaint on Friday at the cybercrime police station over the issue. “In the video, Pannun warned that the next phase of referendum for Punjab’s independence from India will be held in Italy on May 8. He said that when Punjab is liberated from India, Haryana will become a part of Punjab,” Subhash Boken, the spokesperson of Gurgaon police said.
He added: “He further said that on April 29, Khalistan Declaration Day would be observed and the flag of Khalistan would be hoisted at the DC and SP offices in all the districts of Haryana — from Gurgaon to Ambala.”
An FIR was registered against the accused under Sections 124 A (sedition) and 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 Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
In July 2020, Gurgaon police had booked Pannu for sedition after he had allegedly released a social media clip in which he had blamed the Haryana government and people of the state for “being inimical to interests of Sikhs and Punjabis”.
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