New Delhi: Pro-Khalistan graffiti and slogans targeting India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were discovered written on pillars of Delhi metro stations on Sunday. The slogans were found at Karol Bagh and Jhandewalan Metro Stations, police said on Sunday. Reportedly, the slogans were written by supporters of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), a banned Sikh separatist group based in the United States.
Delhi Police launch probe
The Delhi police have lodged a First Information Report (FIR) and acquired CCTV footage from the Delhi Metro authorities to aid in their investigation.
"We have formed teams to probe the matter. Police teams are scanning CCTV cameras in the area and on the metro stations to identify the culprits and nab them. A case under relevant sections of the IPC has been registered and graffiti and slogans have been removed," said the officer.
A security guard at a nearby building noticed the slogans written in black paint on the metro station pillars when he arrived for duty on Sunday morning. "I came to duty at 8 am and saw that something was written in black colour on the pillars of the metro station. A huge crowd had gathered there and was reading the slogans," Bajrangi, the security guard, told ANI.
"These slogans may have been written at night because no one was there at that time and no one saw who wrote these slogans," he added.
Similar incident happened last year
This is not the first time that such incident is happening in the national capital. There have been prior cases of pro-Khalistani graffiti in Delhi. In January of this year, the Delhi Police arrested a man for reportedly creating pro-Khalistani graffiti on walls in the Tilak Nagar area. Additionally, in August of last year, the Delhi Police Special Cell detained two individuals from Punjab in relation to pro-Khalistan graffiti and slogans found at over five metro stations in Delhi.
Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) criminalises and punishes making statements, speeches, or acts that have the effect of disturbing public tranquillity or law and order by promoting enmity or creating fear or alarm between classes of people on the basis of differences in religion, caste, language, or place of birth.
Section 505 of the IPC, on the other hand, criminalizes making statements, reports, or rumours that encourage members of the armed forces or a police officer to refuse to perform their duty, encourage a person to commit offences against the state or disturb public tranquillity, and incite persons to disturb public tranquillity.
(With agencies input)
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