The National Investigation Agency on Friday filed a chargesheet against 10 Khalistani terrorists, including designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, before a special court in Mohali in a case related to series violence and arson in Punjab. The chargesheet was filed under several sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
Pannun is a resident of New York in US. Others named in the chargesheet are: Pargat Singh, Sukhraj Singh, Bikramjit Singh, Manjeet Singh, Jatinder Singh, Gurwinder Singh, Harpreet Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Harmeet Singh.
According the NIA, the acts of arson and violence in the state in 2017-18 were committed by a gang of radicalised Sikh youth under direction and financial assistance from SFJ handlers located abroad as part of an organized conspiracy by the accused for launching a concerted secessionist campaign for creation of ‘Khalistan’.
The case was initially registered by Punjab police in Amritsar and the NIA took over the investigation on April 5 this year.
“Investigation in the case has revealed that SFJ, a secessionist outfit, has launched an incessant campaign using numerous social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, YouTube Channels and a number of websites to propagate sedition and disturb peace and harmony in India. These social media accounts are being used to radicalise impressionable youth & breed enmity on the grounds of region and religion,” the NIA said in a statement.
According the agency, the investigation has also clearly established that Pannun radicalised and recruited the other accused persons into SFJ, an organization declared as ‘Unlawful Association’ under UAPA. The accused persons had received funding from their handlers located abroad through various MTSS platforms to further the conspiracy, it said.
