Punjab: Graffiti artist Pannun’s associate held

Punjab: State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) Mohali arrested Resham Singh, a prominent activist of banned outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and a close associate of SFJ’s US-based chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, for his alleged involvement in vandalising Dr BR Ambedkar’s statue in Phillaur and carrying out a series of pro-Khalistan graffiti across the state. Preliminary investigation revealed that acting on the instructions of US-based Surinder Singh Thikriwal – a wanted criminal in several UAPA cases – and SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, the arrested accused, who hails from Hamidi village in Barnala, damaged Dr Ambedkar’s statue at Nangal in Phillaur in the first week of June.

Resham Singh, who is also accused of repeatedly defacing public property with pro-Khalistan and pro-SFJ graffiti in districts including Patiala, Faridkot, Jalandhar and other districts, was absconding since the incident. DGP Gaurav Yadav said, “During the Indo-Pak tension in May 2025, Resham Singh wrote provocative slogans like ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ and ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ to create public unrest and promote anti-national sentiments.” He said that the evidence also shows that the accused was receiving foreign funding to carry out these illegal activities. Yadav said that the accused has already been arrested in two UAPA cases registered in Karnal and Sangrur for making anti-national graffiti.