G20 in Delhi: Police take the eraser to Khalistani slogans over the weekend

Delhi Police personnel deployed in and around the New Delhi area, including the Lutyens' zone where G20 heads and guests are staying, have been equipped with graffiti remover to erase objectionable slogans if found written anywhere in the vicinity.

Sources told IANS that Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the Canada-based terrorist, has allocated a fund of $100,000 and incited his sympathizers to write pro-Khalistani slogans near the locations where G20 heads are staying or on their route.

The Special Branch wrote a letter to all Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) on 5 September, alerting them of the fact that Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the founder of Sikh For Justice (SFJ), a banned terrorist organisation, had plans to deface surroundings where G20 heads would be staying or along their routes with pro-Khalistani slogans and objectionable content.

IANS has obtained a copy of the letter, which states that farmers from Punjab and SFJ activists have been incited by Pannun to raise Khalistani flags at locations where G20 heads will be staying, and to remove the Indian National Flag, in addition to writing Khalistan and objectionable slogans.

"The Special Branch received information through social media that Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the Chief of the banned pro-Khalistan group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), issued a call via a video, urging the youth and farmers of Punjab to support the 'Khalistan Morcha' during the G20 Summit in Delhi. He further encouraged them to target Over Bridges on the route of G20 Heads, such as Tilak Bridge, Bhairon Bridge, Ring Road Sardar Patel Marg, Africa Avenue, etc., with Khalistan Flags. We should remain vigilant," reads the confidential letter sent to all DCPs by the Special Branch.

The letter also mentions that recently, on two occasions, on January 19 and 27 August, graffiti and pro-Khalistan slogans were discovered on the outside walls of multiple Metro Stations, as well as various locations like hotel boundaries, schools, and bus stops in the western and outer parts of Delhi. Sikh For Justice activists were held responsible for these incidents.

The Special Branch also learned that the SFJ issued another call on social media, announcing their intention to raise Khalistan flags during the G20 Summit at Pragati Maidan. "They also planned to remove the Indian flag, and for this purpose, the SFJ allocated a budget of $100,000 to execute the plan to remove the Indian Flag (tricolour) and raise the Khalistan flag at different locations where the G20 Summit is planned. This video was shared on 7 April," reads the letter.

The letter expresses concerns that young individuals or sympathisers of the SFJ who may have been influenced by that video are likely to engage in vandalising activities, such as raising Khalistan flags at places where G20 heads will arrive or along their routes. "They can create graffiti on Over Bridges, along the route of G20 Heads, including Tilak Bridge, Bhairon Bridge, Ring Road Sardar Patel Marg, Africa Avenue, Railway Lines, vital installations, government offices, Metro Stations, important junctions, Airport terminals, and prominent places, especially in and around New Delhi, to attract media attention," the letter adds.

The Delhi Police are also maintaining strict vigilance throughout Delhi to thwart the plans of SFJ.