Punjab Police busted a secessionist module of the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) on Friday after conducting a raid in Ludhiana district’s Khanna. The police arrested three SFJ members and recovered lakhs of pamphlets, that instigated secessionist activities, from them during the raid.

The SFJ was banned by the Indian government in July 2019 under the UA(P) Act for promoting separatist agenda and violent militancy in Punjab. Their activities were aimed at creating a divide between communities and disturbing the peace and communal harmony in the state.

The arrested persons were identified as Gurwinder Singh, resident of Khanna, and Jagwinder Singh and Sukhdev Singh of Punjab’s Rupnagar district. The police also booked Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, Harpreet Singh, Bikramjeet Singh and Gursahai Makhu — all based in the USA — and Jagjeet Singh Mangat of Khanna.

The police, in presence of a duty magistrate, conducted raids in Khanna city’s Rampur village and recovered over 2.84 lakh pamphlets carrying messages of ‘Referendum 2020’. ‘Referendum 2020’ is a campaign run by the SFJ for separating Punjab from India.

ALSO READ: Khalistani group threatens to ‘give Modi sleepless nights’ ahead of PM’s US visit

The police also recovered one canon printer, spray pump and spray bottles, one laptop, three mobile phones and one Honda City Car from their possession.

Printing machine for Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) pamphlets. (Photo: India Today/Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu)

During preliminary investigations, it was found that the accused Gurwinder Singh had been radicalised by watching a YouTube channel, named ‘US Media International’. The channel is operated by JS Dhaliwal, who had introduced him to Gurpatwant Pannu.

A police spokesman said, “On the instructions of Pannu, Gurwinder installed Khalistani flags on the premises of a government school in his village Rampur.”

It was also revealed that the accused had registered around 20-25 persons for promoting ‘Sikh Referendum 2020’ messages, besides distributing pamphlets for different groups in the vicinity of Doraha and Ludhiana, added the spokesperson.

Photo: India Today/Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu.

ALSO READ: Tiffin box bomb recovery: Punjab DGP says pro-Khalistan group’s role under scanner

The police spokesperson said that accused Gurwinder Singh had also written wall graffiti under bridges and on signboards at various places between Khanna and the Singhu border in Delhi.

On the night of August 15, he spray-painted pro-Sikh Referendum 2020 and anti-Indian slogans at various places.

The police said that for promoting secessionist activities, the accused had received huge funds from Pannu via human carriers, Hawala and MTSS channels.

Meanwhile, the arrested persons were booked under sections 124A, 153A, 153B and 120B of the IPC and sections 17, 18, 20, 40 of the UA(P) Act at SSOC police station in SAS Nagar. Further raids are being conducted to arrest the remaining accused.

ALSO READ: The ghost of Khalistan