New Delhi, May 1: A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Punjab’s SAS Nagar (Mohali) has convicted two individuals in connection with a 2020 case and sentenced them to prison. The court has also imposed fines on both accused.
The case pertains to the hoisting of a Khalistani flag on a government building in Moga, instigated by Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, a declared terrorist and general counsel of the group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).
The accused have been identified as Inderjeet Singh and Jaspal Singh, both residents of Moga. They received sentences of five years and six months under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the UAPA Act, and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, along with a fine of ₹16,000.
Previously, the NIA had filed a charge sheet against these two, along with two other arrested individuals and two absconding suspects, Pannu and his associate Rana Singh alias Harpreet Singh, who are currently in the United States. In 2021, the special court in Mohali declared Pannu and Harpreet as “declared offenders” in this case.
On August 14, 2020, at the instigation of Pannu and in exchange for cash rewards from the SFJ (an unlawful organization), Inderjeet and Jaspal hoisted the Khalistani flag at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Moga, just before Independence Day celebrations. They entered the administrative premises of the DC office and climbed onto the building’s roof, where they raised an orange/yellow flag emblazoned with the word “Khalistan.” They also disrespected the Indian national flag by cutting its rope, causing it to fall to the ground, and dragged it along.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Harpreet had financially motivated Inderjeet and Jaspal to carry out these acts. Pannu had previously uploaded a video on social media between August 10 and 11, 2020, urging residents of Punjab and Haryana to hoist Khalistani flags. He even announced a reward of $125,000 for any Indian youth who would hoist a Khalistani flag at Delhi’s Red Fort and $2,500 for hoisting such a flag at any government office.
Deependra Singh Chundawat is a Senior Sub-Editor at Udaipur Kiran, specializing in a wide range of technology topics including mobile phones, applications, gaming, PCs, and wearables. Along with covering the latest tech news, he also creates engaging web stories. Passionate about emerging technologies, he stays up to date with the newest trends and enjoys reading and writing about the latest mobile launches and digital innovations.
