Khalistan flags at HP Vidhan Sabha leads to a political slugfest
The appearance of Khalistan flags at the gates of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly sparked controversy in the election-bound state, especially as it never saw such activity even at the height of militancy in nearby Punjab. After this slugfest ensued between the opposition and ruling party with Congress and AAP accusing the government of a lackadaisical approach to law and order. The political mud-slinging was raised even higher in Himachal when Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur showed a picture on his mobile phone of Leader of the Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri with a man wearing a Khalistani T-shirt.
The Opposition parties questioned the ruling BJP’s claims, particularly coming so soon after the Punjab Assembly elections where it had leveled similar pro-Khalistani charges at the Aam Aadmi Party. Having trounced the other parties, including the BJP, in Punjab, AAP is planning a serious political fray in Himachal with the coming election.
The Congress called the planting of the pro-Khalistan flags and banners on the Assembly complex walls a security lapse. About the photo displayed by Thakur, Congress leader Agnihotri said: “This is Jai Ram Thakur’s government, asking people to change their clothes is not my job.”Agnihotri also said that the event where the photo was taken was attended by a senior BJP leader as well. “All this is a ploy to deflect attention from the real issue of paper leak in police recruitment,” he said.
Last month, days after AAP won in Punjab, alleged Khalistani flags had sprung up in Una, Himachal. In June, the SFJ is set to hold a “referendum” for Khalistan in Himachal. AAP in charge of Himachal Durgesh Pathak called the incidents “strange”. “The Khalistanis have nothing to do with Himachal. If their activities are being witnessed in Himachal, there might be two things — either the Jai Ram Thakur govt is totally incompetent or defunct, or that the BJP is hand in glove with these Khalistani elements.”
Aside from these political defaming games, this Khalistan issue is getting on to the nerves of Himachal as the day after a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at the Intelligence Wing headquarters of Punjab Police in Mohali, Khalistani outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) warned Himachal Chief Minister Jairam Thakur, saying the attack could have also been on the Shimla Police headquarters."This grenade attack could have taken place at the Shimla Police headquarters," SFJ's self-styled general counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun warned in an audio message
The cops have already registered a case under section 153-A, 153-B IPC, and section 3 of HP Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1985 has been registered against unidentified persons for placing flags of Khalistan on the outer boundary of Vidhan Sabha. HP DGP Sanjay Kundu constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) that will be headed by Santosh Patial, for the investigation of this case.