Assam: Punjabi dhaba owner picked up for Khalistani poster in Bongaigaon

A roadside dhaba owner from Punjab found himself in the spotlight in Assam's Bongaigaon district after being apprehended on suspicion of harboring sympathies towards the Khalistani movement.

According to Bongaigaon SP Mohan Lal Meena, the individual in question had prominently displayed posters featuring Khalistani ideologue Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and other related imagery within his line hotel, situated near Gerukabari outpost along National Highway-27.

"The establishment featured a poster of Bhindranwale, alongside another depicting an individual waving a flag reminiscent of the Khalistani symbol. We are currently scrutinizing these materials," stated SP Meena.

The individual, identified as Gurmukh Singh hailing from Tarn Taran district of Punjab, had also exhibited a photograph of the controversial rapper Sidhu Moose Wala, Meena added.

Singh was taken into custody on Sunday, and law enforcement officials are presently conducting an interrogation.

"He claimed to have received these pictures from some truck drivers. While he may be sympathetic to the cause, we cannot conclusively ascertain his allegiance at this juncture," remarked the SP.

Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Singh was engaged in truck driving; however, he transitioned to running the dhaba following the outbreak.

"We suspect that he displayed such posters in his dhaba premises to attract truck drivers, a significant number of whom hail from Punjab. Otherwise, it would be irrational for him to publicly display such material," said SP Meena.