Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Pro-Khalistani slogans targeting actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh were found at two Delhi Metro stations, prompting the Special Cell to arrest three people allegedly acting at the behest of individuals associated with the banned outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).
The graffiti, discovered at Jahangirpuri (Yellow Line) and Shastri Nagar (Red Line) Metro stations on October 29 and 30, respectively, contained a threatening message referring to Diljit and calling for revenge in the name of Khalistan. The slogan read, “Diljit Singh quam d gaddar khoon d badla, SFJ Khalistan” (Diljit Singh is a traitor to the community. SFJ/Khalistan will avenge the blood).
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The development came after Diljit Dosanjh performed his first concert in Delhi on Friday as part of his Aura India Tour. Dosanjh will travel to several other cities over the next two months.
Police said the accused were lured with large sums of money to write the slogans at public places. Investigators are now trying to identify the alleged handlers and others involved in the conspiracy.
The three arrested accused have been identified as Sumit alias Raftar, 30, a resident of Samalkha in Haryana’s Panipat district; Sumit Kumar alias Kaka, 22, from Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district; and Gurpreet, 22, from Mahilpur in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district.
GRAFFITI FOUND AT 2 METRO STATIONS
The first incident came to light on October 29, when pro-Khalistan slogans were found on the floor near Gate No 1 of Jahangirpuri Metro station. Similar graffiti was discovered the following day on the inner wall of the staircase near Gate No 2 of Shastri Nagar Metro station.
The Delhi Police Special Cell’s Northern Range launched an investigation into the incident. A team comprising Inspectors Anukul Panwar and Parveen Kumar, under the supervision of ACP Rahul Kumar Singh, examined CCTV footage and gathered local intelligence.
Technical investigation led the team to Sumit alias Raftar, who was arrested first. His questioning revealed the involvement of two other associates, following which police conducted operations in Punjab and arrested Kaka and Gurpreet.
Police said Kaka played a key role in coordinating the operation. Investigators found that he was in contact with individuals associated with pro-Khalistan ideology in Ludhiana and Gurdaspur.
According to the police, an associate asked Kaka to download an encrypted messaging application, through which he received instructions. A prominent SFJ member sent him designs and templates for the slogans and offered him a substantial amount of money to carry out the task.
Kaka then recruited his acquaintances, Gurpreet and Raftar, who agreed to travel to Delhi and write the graffiti.
The three accused reached the national capital around October 28-29. Police said Raftar went to Jahangirpuri Metro station and wrote the slogans there. He also recorded a video of the act and sent it to his handlers.
Kaka and Gurpreet carried out the same task at Shastri Nagar Metro station. The police said all three accused admitted to their roles during questioning.
HOW THE ACCUSED MET EACH OTHER
The investigation also revealed how the accused allegedly came in contact with one another. Raftar, who studied up to Class 12, later enrolled at ITI Ajitwal in Punjab’s Moga district but dropped out.
He subsequently worked as a freelance content creator on Bigo Live, a platform banned by the Indian government in 2019, before joining Tango Live. Police said he met Kaka through the latter platform.
Raftar had travelled to Ludhiana around a week before the graffiti incidents. The three later travelled to Delhi by taxi and reached Kashmere Gate ISBT, police said.
Kaka, also a Class 12 pass-out, allegedly became involved in drug abuse and anti-social activities after completing his studies. He met Gurpreet around four years ago, when the latter was working at a hotel in Samalkha. The two later began living together.
Kaka subsequently met Raftar through a mutual acquaintance. Police said he was recently contacted on WhatsApp and asked to download the encrypted messaging application, where a SFJ member offered him money for writing the slogans in Delhi.
The Special Cell is now probing the alleged links of the arrested men with SFJ members and searching for the handlers who allegedly commissioned the graffiti.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
