The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today filed a chargesheet against 10 Khalistani terrorists, including US-based designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, in the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) case in the special NIA court here.
The other nine accused have been identified as Pargat Singh; Sukhraj Singh, alias Raju, Bikramjit Singh, alias Vicky; Manjeet Singh, alias Manga; Jatinder Singh, alias Goldi; Gurwinder Singh, alias Gopi; Harpreet Singh, alias Happy; Kuldeep Singh, alias Keepa (all residents of Punjab) and Harmeet Singh, alias Raju, a resident of Delhi.
The chargesheet has been filed under Sections 120B and 124A of the IPC and Sections 13, 16, 17, 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967.
An NIA spokesman said the case relates to a series of acts of violence, including acts of arson, in Punjab in 2017-18, carrying out of propaganda activities both online and on ground campaigns in support of the SFJ and Referendum-2020.
He said these acts were committed by a gang of radicalised youth under direction and financial assistance from SFJ handlers abroad as a part of an organised conspiracy
by the accused for launching a concerted secessionist campaign for the creation of ‘Khalistan’.
The case was initially registered by the Punjab Police at the Sultanwind police station, Amritsar (city), on October 19, 2018, and was subsequently re-registered by the NIA on April 5 this year.
The spokesman further said the investigation had revealed that the SFJ, a secessionist outfit, had launched an incessant campaign using numerous social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and YouTube channels and a number of websites to propagate sedition and disturb peace and harmony in India.
“These social media accounts are being used to radicalise impressionable youth and breed enmity on the grounds of region and religion,” he said.
test