An incident involving the alleged hoisting of a Khalistani flag inside a government school in Jalandhar has come to light and the incident was reported at Government Middle School in Kotla Heran village, where a Khalistan Referendum flag was allegedly placed inside the principal's office.
According to the information available, the separatist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has claimed responsibility for the incident and the group also released a raw video that allegedly shows the Khalistan Referendum flag placed inside the principal's office of the Government Middle School in Kotla Heran.
Following the release of the video, Khalistani figure Gurpatwant Singh Pannu issued a statement claiming that the flag was hoisted at the school on his directions and in his statement, Pannu addressed the youth and students of Punjab ahead of Independence Day.
He said that as August 15 approaches, students are expected to participate in Independence Day celebrations by wearing school uniforms, waving the Indian National Flag, and taking part in school functions and claimed that his message was intended to remind students about the sacrifices made by people in Punjab, according to his version of history.
Pannu further urged students to stay away from hoisting the Indian Tricolour in Punjab, and also warned that if Independence Day celebrations were allegedly forced upon students and the people of Punjab, they would reject such efforts politically.
In another part of his statement, Pannu claimed that the Khalistan Referendum campaign would continue in schools, colleges, and administrative centres across Punjab and also made remarks targeting the political leadership and those involved in organising Independence Day celebrations.
The video released by SFJ has been circulated online, with the group claiming that it shows the flag inside the principal's office of the government school and the authenticity of the video and the circumstances under which the flag was placed have not been independently verified in the information available so far.
The incident comes just days before Independence Day, when schools across Punjab and the rest of the country traditionally organise flag-hoisting ceremonies, cultural programmes, and patriotic events involving students and teachers.