Manali: Hours after Khalistan flags were put up at the gate and boundary wall of the state Assembly complex in Dharamshala, the Himachal Pradesh Police on Monday, 9 May, booked Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a leader of the banned group Sikhs for Justice, under anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the incident.
DGP Sanjay Kundu told the media that Pannun has been booked as the main accused under Section 13 of the UAPA and Sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc) and 153 B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and the HP Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1985.
Sikhs for Justice is a US-based secessionist group banned in India in 2019. Pannun serves as the general counsel of SFJ.
an order issued by state police chief Sanjay Kundu said that senior police officers have been instructed to keep a close watch on possible hideouts of members of the banned outfit, including hotels. They have also been directed to keep bomb disposal squads and special units on standby for any emergency situation.
(Smit Soni)