The Hindu : National : Eight held for hoisting `Sikh flag' on Republic Day

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Friday, Jan 28, 2005

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Eight held for hoisting `Sikh flag' on Republic Day

By Our Staff Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, JAN 27 . The Amritsar police have arrested eight persons under various charges, including sedition, when activists of radical Sikh organisations hoisted what they referred to as the "Sikh Flag" on Republic Day.

While police said that cases have been registered against 13 persons for the incident in which some activists were alleged to have opened fire in the air, a spokesman of one of the participating outfits, Dal Khalsa International, Kanwarpal Singh Bittu, told The Hindu over phone that while 10 top leaders were named, the FIR mentioned 25 "unidentified" persons.

The police said that the names of known Khalistani ideologue, Jagjit Singh Chauhan, the working president of Dal Khalsa, Harcharan Singh Dhami, Satnam Singh Paonta Sahib, who served a prison sentence in Pakistan for hijacking a plane, and Mr. Bittu figured in the FIR and search parties were looking for them. Mr. Bittu said they were evading arrest till the next plan of action was finalised.

Refuting the police charges, Mr. Bittu said that no attempt was made to create terror or breach any provision of law. He said that the organisers had adequately advertised the event to be held in the Gurdwara,which has been built at the spot where 13 Sikh protestors who fell to bullets fired during a scuffle the Nirankari sect on April 13, 1978.

The function he said was organised, to "salute the Sikh Flag for keeping alive the memory and dedication of all martyrs who laid down their lives to protect the Sikh faith and people."

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