Just before the start of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, a pro-Khalistan graffiti was seen on the outside wall of the Chief and Superintendent Engineers’ office in Dharamshala in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday morning. According to official sources, some unidentified miscreants painted “Khalistan Zindabad” with black spray paint on the wall of the government office. On getting information, the police took immediate action and got the wall re-painted. The police have initiated an investigation into the incident.
Dharamsala is home to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, it is about 250 km from the state capital.
In May last year, posters of Khalistan, a separatist movement seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing a sovereign state, had surfaced at the main entrance of the state legislative Assembly campus in Himachal.
The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) will be hosting Bangladesh vs. Afghanistan on October 7 (Saturday), followed by England vs. Bangladesh on October 10, South Africa vs. Netherlands on October 17, India vs. New Zealand on October 22 and Australia vs. New Zealand on October 28. The HPCA Stadium, one of the newest stadiums in the country with the mighty Dhauladhar range in the backdrop, is located in the Kangra district of Dharamsala.
Delhi Pro-Khalistan Graffiti
A similar incident was reported in Delhi where pro-Khalistani graffiti was painted on the walls of the Kashmiri Gate flyover on September 27. The graffiti was later removed and a case was registered under appropriate sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The incident come amid a diplomatic row between Canada and India over the killing of Khalistani sympathiser Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
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