The Himachal Pradesh Police on Wednesday arrested a person from Punjab for allegedly putting up Khalistani flags on the main gate and the walls of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly in Dharamshala on Sunday, Chief Minister Jairam Thakur said, according to PTI.
Harvir Singh was arrested on Wednesday morning after he confessed to tying the flags and painting pro-Khalistan slogans on the gate and walls of the Assembly complex, Thakur said.
The Khalistan movement is a separatist campaign to create a country for Sikhs by seceding from India.
The Himachal Pradesh chief minister said that the police are on the lookout for another accused person, PTI reported.
A special investigation team has been formed to look into the case, and the chief minister has spoken on the matter to the Union home minister as well, the Times of India reported.
The flags were put up on the Assembly gates days after Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a leader of the Sikhs for Justice group, called for the hoisting of the Khalistani flag in Shimla. The Himachal Pradesh Police had booked Pannun and sealed the state borders after he made the call.
The Sikhs for Justice group operates internationally with the aim of establishing Khalistan. It was outlawed in India in July 2019.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!