‘#freeJagginow’ patrons oppose terror in UK, support it in Punjab, say cops

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 14

The Punjab Police today hit back at the “#freeJagginow” campaign being run in the UK by some Sikh groups and political leaders to get a UK national, Jagjit Singh Johal, alias Jaggi, freed from the Punjab Police custody.

The police said those running the campaign spoke against terror activities on their land but were either supporting or ignoring those who were using British resources to fund and run terror activities in Punjab.

“We have evidence against Johal. He radicalised Punjab youth and was the main facilitator for funds, weapons and logistic support to the terror module that carried out six killings. We will be presenting all evidence in the court,” said a Punjab Police spokesperson.

He said Johal was a Khalistan ideologue, who working at the behest of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence and the Khalistan Liberation Force had facilitated the killings in the name of taking revenge of alleged atrocities on Sikhs and threat to destroy Sikh identity by the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh.

“He sent money through non-banking channels and radicalised the youth,” the spokesperson added.

He said the campaign was nothing but another means to gather funds in the name of Khalistan. “These campaigners send their children to best schools and provide them good life in European countries but use poor impressionable youth in Punjab to create trouble and spread talk of terrorism. Why haven’t they started a campaign for the release of shooters Ramandeep and Shera? Does being a British national means he will have more rights than others?” he said.

The police spokesperson said the campaigners must answer what was the fault of the leaders killed by the terrorists. “Were these leaders involved in 1984 riots or something? The campaigners are just using Punjab youth to create trouble in Punjab while they live peacefully in the UK,” he said.

He said the Punjab government and security agencies had been flagging the issue of the use of UK soil and resources for funding terror in Punjab, “but the political leaders there are not cooperating with us”.

Take up his case with UK Govt: Sikh groups 

Jalandhar: Various UK-based Sikh organisations on Monday posted messages on Twitter threatening social boycott of Indian-origin MPs in the country if they fail to take up Johal’s case with the UK Government. Also, slamming the British Government for allegedly not providing timely consular services to UK national Johal in India, the Sikhs in the UK have asked the elected representatives of their respective areas to seek the intervention of the British High Commission in India to save Johal from the alleged third degree torture by the Punjab Police. A group of British MPs led by Preet Kaur Gill has written to the UK foreign office, seeking a probe into Johal’s arrest. TNS