Sikhs for Justice raises its ugly head in Himachal Pradesh

Following the incident, all inter-state borders have been sealed. Security has also been heightened at dams, railway stations, bus stands and other vital installations.

New Delhi, May 09: A probe has been ordered after Khalistan flags appeared at the main entrance to the Himachal Pradesh assembly complex on Sunday.

The district administration has set up a probe by the SIT to look into the intrusion and preliminary reports indicate that the incident could have taken place last in the night or early morning.

Following the incident, all inter-state borders have been sealed. Security has also been heightened at dams, railway stations, bus stands and other vital installations.

The FIR filed by the police named Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, the head of the proscribed pro-Khalistan outfit, Sikhs for Justice (SJF) as the primary accused in the case.

Recently the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting ordered the blocking of apps, websites and social media accounts linked to the proscribed terror organisation, Sikhs for Justice.

The SJF was proscribed by the Indian government under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in 2019. The government said that the outfit was trying to revive terrorism in Punjab.

The government ordered the blocking of apps, websites and media accounts of the foreign based Punjab Politics TV which is closely associated with the SJF. The order said that the channel was attempting to use online media to disturb public order.

"It was also observed that the launch of new apps and social media accounts was timed to gain traction during the ongoing elections," the ministry said.

The order was a much needed one as these pro-Khalistan outfits had started running a sustained campaign against the Union of India. Be it undertaking blasts, targeted killings or trying to infiltrate the farmer protests, these elements headquartered abroad are trying to make Punjab terror infested.

Groups such as the Sikhs for Justice whose bosses are seated in Canada continue to play a dangerous role. Punjab has seen a lot of activity of late including the security breach involving Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ludhiana Court blast.

Prior to these incidents, there were scores of incidents of targeted killings. In addition to this Punjab has its own drug problem and Pakistan on the other hand drops off arms and ammunition in the state with the help of drones.

An Intelligence Bureau official tells OneIndia that there has been a sustained effort to portray the Centre as anti-Sikh. They will do it more as the elections near. Even ahead of the Punjab elections, the Intelligence Bureau has received several alerts about these elements attempting to disrupt the process.
Punjab is also witnessing sacrilege and lynching. On Saturday a man from UP was lynched after an alleged attempt to commit sacrilege into the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple.

Incidents of sacrilege will be a fodder for Khalistan forces to return to Punjab. For long the Intelligence agencies have said that Pakistan's ISI has been making efforts to ensure the return of terrorism in Punjab.

The Intelligence has warned for long that the ISI and the Khalistan forces will try taking advantage of any instability in Punjab. These recent incidents are a pointer to that fact. The ISI would incite violence by undertaking such acts knowing fully that some radical elements would react in a violent manner.