Arrested for anti-BRICS graffiti, law degree holder linked to Pannun’s SFJ; faces 7 cases

Delhi police announced the arrest of Preetpal Singh, a 31‑year‑old holder of MA and LLB degrees, describing him as a committed member of the proscribed Sikh for Justice (SFJ) and a close associate of its founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Singh was taken into custody on Friday after a large‑scale investigation into anti‑BRICS graffiti and pro‑Khalistan slogans that appeared on the walls of the Guru Tegh Bahadur Memorial near Delhi’s Singhu Border on September 6.

The graffiti incident triggered a coordinated manhunt that resulted in the seizure of two additional suspects, Harminder Singh, 51, and Niranjan Singh, 35, who were apprehended in Faridkot, Punjab, based on CCTV evidence. Police allege that Preetpal commissioned the operation for a payment of Rs 1.5 lakh and that he has been linked to seven separate cases involving alleged anti‑India activities in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. Earlier investigations show he was previously booked in Amritsar in 2022 for a pro‑Khalistan campaign on the anniversary of Operation Blue Star and in 2023 for painting pro‑Khalistan slogans on West Delhi metro stations during the G20 summit, for which he was charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and later granted interim bail.

SFJ, a banned organization advocating for a separate Khalistan state, has been under heightened scrutiny ahead of the upcoming BRICS summit. Authorities say Singh’s mobile phone contained conversations with Pannun and evidence of dollar‑denominated funding for anti‑India operations. The Special Cell, which is already probing the 2023 G20‑related case, has taken over Singh’s custody and filed a fresh FIR under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to waging war against the government. Police are also verifying a video circulating on social media in which Pannun claims responsibility for Singh’s arrest, underscoring the broader security concerns surrounding separatist activism in the region.