Two FIRs filed against pro-Khalistan activist Pannu in Punjab

A day after Gurpatwant Singh Pannu of the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) was declared a designated terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Punjab Police on Thursday registered two FIRs in Amritsar and Kapurthala against him and his associates, including SFJ member Joginder Singh Gujjar, who reportedly came to India from Italy in February this year.

Pannu, a pro-Khalistan activist who Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had recently said was actively involved in promoting terrorism in Punjab, is among the nine wanted men designated as terrorists under the UAPA by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday for their efforts to revive militancy in Punjab and for their involvement in various acts of terrorism from foreign soil.

The MHA has designated Pannu as a terrorist for actively running a secessionist campaign against India and motivating Sikh youth from Punjab to join militant ranks.

The Dalit Suraksha Sena (DSS) had filed a complaint against Pannu and his associates, and got a case registered against them in Amritsar for burning the Indian Constitution and the national flag, besides instigating others to do so, which had hurt the sentiments of the entire SC community in the country.

In its complaint, the Dalit Suraksha Sena said that Pannu, the self-styled legal advisor of the US-based SFJ, and his accomplices were seen dishonouring the Constitution and the national flag in a video.

The complaint said these abhorrent actions of the individuals in question had brazenly dishonoured the ideals on which the Indian state has been established and thereby had hurt the sentiments of the entire SC community.

According to the police spokesperson, immediate action was necessitated in pursuance to the reception of the complaint as Pannu and his associates were found to be involved in the commission of seditious acts through their actions and words, both spoken and written, thus attempting to create a communal divide, as well as instigating disaffection towards the government established by law in India.

The second FIR, registered in Bhulath in Kapurthala district, is based on reliable inputs of entry of Joginder Singh Gujjar, alias Goga, in India in February 2020, a police spokesperson said, adding that Pannu and his associates have been charged with seditious and secessionist activities in the case.

The spokesperson said that it had been learnt that Joginder Singh is a prominent and active member of the SFJ, which was declared as an unlawful organisation' by the MHA on July 10, 2019..