Barnala: Amid protests by Khalistani supporters abroad against the recent killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, pro-Khalistani graffiti has been painted outside the the office and residence of Deputy Commissioner in Barnala district of Punjab, sources said on Wednesday. The development has left the Bhagwant Singh Mann led AAP government red-faced over an apparent resurgence of the radical Sikh elements in the state.
Sources said that the graffiti hailing Khalistan was seen painted on the walls of the Deputy Commissioner's office and Deputy Commissioner's residence in Barnala. Besides, Khalistani slogans were also written on the forest department building and the public outreach banner of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, sources said.
Soon after the Khalistani slogans were spotted, the district administration painted over the graffiti. Khalistani leader and the chief of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) Gurpatwant Singh Pannu has taken responsibility for the pro-Khalistani graffiti. The SFJ chief has has also released a video taking responsibility for the act. In the video, which has gone viral on social media, Pannu has threatened to foil the upcoming Cricket World Cup in India as an act of revenge for the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Nijjar, who headed the Khalistan Tiger Force and the Canada chapter of the SFJ was shot dead outside a Gurudwara in Surrey in June. Pannu has also threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Pertinently, slain Khalistani leader Nijjar was recently designated as a terrorist by the Government of India.
He also figured in the list of 40 designated terrorists for his subversive activities.
