NEW DELHI: The Special Cell of the Delhi Police has successfully thwarted a potentially disruptive incident on the day of the Cricket World Cup final on November 19, detaining a 35-year-old man from Kurukshetra, Haryana. The individual, identified as Malak Singh, also known as Malik, was apprehended in connection with the pro-Khalistani graffiti that appeared near the ISBT flyover earlier in September.
Investigations reveal that Singh, acting on the orders of the banned outfit Sikh for Justice Chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, was tasked with painting pro-Khalistan slogans at various venues, including Delhi Airport, on the day of the final match. The graffiti, discovered on September 27 under and over Yudhister Setu, Kashmere Gate Delhi, bore messages such as “Delhi banayaga Khalistan SFJ” and “Khalistan Zindabad.”
Pannu said that Khalistani Sikhs from Canada had arrived in Delhi to target Parliament House in retaliation for the assassination of Nijjar.The Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) HGS Dhaliwal stated that specific intelligence led to the identification of Malak Singh, a resident of Kurkshetra, as the perpetrator behind the graffiti. Singh was also found to be involved in three other incidents of pro-Khalistan graffiti in Haryana prior to the G-20 Summit.
A comprehensive investigation, deploying a large-scale manhunt, eventually led to Singh’s arrest on November 19 in Kurukshetra. During interrogation, Singh admitted to being influenced by Khalistan ideology since childhood and became actively involved in 2018 after the announcement of Referendum 2020 by Pannu.Singh’s journey involved participation in the farmers’ agitation in 2020 at Singhu Border, where he established connections with sympathisers of Sikh for Justice and Khalistan.