Walls of govt office defaced with pro-Khalistan slogans ahead of World Cup matchs in Dharamshala

The pro-Khalistan graffiti was found written on the walls outside a government office in Dharamshala ahead of the World Cup matches here.

Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh): Days ahead of the Afghanistan-Bangladesh World Cup 2023 match due for October 7, walls of a government office in Himachal Pradesh's Dharamshala were defaced with 'Khalistan Zindabad' graffiti. Acting swiftly after receiving the information about the incident, the police got the wall re-painted.

According to official sources, some unidentified miscreants painted pro khalistani graffiti with black spray paint on the wall of the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) office here. On getting information, the police rushed to the spot and got the wall painted again. The police initiated a probe into the incident.

Superintendent of Police, Kangra Shalini Agnihotri said that the incident occurred days before the beginning of the World Cup 2023 matches here. The police got the graffiti erased and begun an investigation to nab the accused. "It is an act of mischievous elements. We will be taking legal action against them," a police officer said.

The police also interrogated Ashwini Kumar, watchman of the office related to this incident. He said, "I was on night shift. I do not know who have painted the wall as I was doing my duty inside the office premises. I was at the office all night but I do not know when it happened."

The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) will be hosting Bangladesh vs Afghanistan on Saturday, followed by England vs Bangladesh on October 10, South Africa vs Netherlands on October 17, India vs New Zealand on October 22 and Australia vs New Zealand on October 28.