NEW DELHI: Three people, including a woman, have been arrested for allegedly writing pro-Khalistan slogans at two Delhi Metro stations, police said on Sunday. The graffiti also carried a message targeting singer Diljit Dosanjh.The arrests come days after Dosanjh performed in the national capital on Friday as part of his Aura India Tour. The singer is scheduled to take the tour to several other cities over the next two months.The graffiti was found at Jahangirpuri and Shastri Nagar Metro stations on October 29 and 30, respectively. Police said the accused were allegedly promised substantial financial rewards for defacing public property at prominent locations in Delhi.The arrested persons have been identified as Sumeet alias Raftar (30), a resident of Panipat in Haryana, and Sumit Kumar alias Kaka (22) and Gurpreet (22), both from Punjab.According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Narra Chaitanya, the investigation revealed that Sumit Kumar was allegedly the main instigator.Sumeet allegedly painted the slogans near Gate No. 1 of Jahangirpuri Metro station and recorded a video of the act to send to his handlers. Kumar and Gurpreet allegedly defaced a staircase wall near Gate No. 2 of Shastri Nagar Metro station.“In both instances, the graffiti read “Diljit Singh quam d gaddar khoon d badla SFJ Khalistan”, expressing support for the banned separatist organisation Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and Khalistan ideology. These acts defaced public property in Metro stations and posed a threat to public order and national integrity,” the police said, ANI reported.Police said Sumit Kumar had been in contact with SFJ sympathisers in Ludhiana and Gurdaspur before an associate allegedly instructed him to download an encrypted messaging application.A member linked to the banned separatist organisation Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) allegedly shared graffiti templates through the app and offered him financial rewards for carrying out the activity at prominent Metro stations.Kumar then allegedly recruited Gurpreet and Sumeet to execute the plan. The three travelled to Delhi on October 28, police said.Police said Sumeet ad come in contact with Kumar through online platforms and had visited Ludhiana about a week before the incident. The trio travelled to Delhi by taxi and reached ISBT Kashmere Gate on October 29.
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Investigators also found that Kumar and Gurpreet had known each other for around four years. Kumar allegedly persuaded her to travel to Delhi on the pretext of shopping before informing her about the plan, police said.Police further alleged that Kumar had painted graffiti near the GTK Bypass, under the jurisdiction of Samaypur Badli police station, on October 30. That incident is being investigated separately.Two FIRs were registered at the Metro Azadpur and Metro NSP police stations under Section 3 of the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Public Property Act, 2007, and Section 62(2) of the Metro Railway (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002.“Further investigation is underway to identify other persons involved in the network and establish the role of the handlers behind the alleged operation,” the officer said.
