Parwana, ‘main conspirator’ of Patiala violence, held

Barjinder Singh Parwana, who is alleged to be the main conspirator of the recent clashes in Patiala, was arrested on Sunday.

Parwana belongs to the Damdami Taksal, a hard-line Sikh group. Inspector General of Police (Patiala Range) Mukhwinder Singh Chinna said: “The main accused in the Patiala clashes Barjinder Singh Parwana has been arrested by the state police from Mohali. Six accused have been arrested till now. The Punjab police will take strict action against those who try to disturb communal harmony and peace.”

Parwana has been remanded to four-day police custody. During the remand, Parwana is likely to be interrogated about issues linked to the clash.

During the Shiv Sena’s “Khalistan Murdabad” march on Friday, Parwana led a demonstration against the Sena protesters near the Kali Mata temple. When the ruckus escalated, he escaped from there on a bike.

When Shiv Sena announced to take out a march against Khalistan, Parwana had said that if someone says “Khalistan murdabad in front of me, I will behead him”.

The police have also arrested Harish Singla, a working president of a forum named Shiv Sena (Bal Thackery) who led the anti-Khalistan procession without the permission of the authorities concerned. The group is not linked with the Maharashtra-based political party Shiv Sena, however, it claims to be influenced by party’s founder Bal Thackeray.

Parwana, a resident of Guru Gobind Singh Nagar near Gagan Chowk in Rajpura, has completed BA. In 2007-08, he went to Singapore where he stayed for about 18 months.

According to the police, Parwana used to give inflammatory speeches through social media on 1984 riots and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) to generate goodwill among followers. Six FIRs have been registered by the state police related to the matter and more than 24 people have been named in the FIRs. The police are searching for the remaining accused.

The police said that two cases of murder attempt are going on against Parwana. He was also involved in the farmers’ movement on Delhi’s border.

The first case was registered on 7 January 2016 at Banur police station of Patiala. A case was registered against him for murderous assault and under the SC/ST Act. The second case was registered on 27 May 2019 at Sadar Patiala Police Station for allegedly disturbing government duty. The third case has been registered at Lahori Gate Patiala police station for an allegation of murderous assault and violation of the Disaster Management Act. The fourth case was registered on 7 August 2021 at Mohali’s Balongi police station under Arms Act and other sections.