HT Digital,
New Delhi, May 6: Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has called for a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into allegations of funding received by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP government from ‘Sikhs for Justice’, a banned US-based Khalistani group.
AAP leader and Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj has categorically denied the allegations, calling them another conspiracy against Kejriwal. The Lt Governor’s Secretariat revealed that Saxena had received a complaint alleging that AAP received USD 16 million from pro-Khalistani groups for facilitating the release of 1993 Delhi blasts convict Devendra Pal Bhullar and promoting pro-Khalistani sentiments.
Given the serious nature of the complaint, Saxena has recommended that the electronic evidence provided by the complainant be investigated thoroughly, including a forensic examination.
The Lt Governor has also forwarded a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs, penned by Kejriwal in January 2014, stating that the AAP government has recommended the release of Bhullar to the President and will be addressing other related issues.
The letter was written in response to a fast undertaken by Iqbal Singh at Jantar Mantar, demanding Bhullar’s release. The complaint also refers to a video released by Sikhs for Justice chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, alleging that AAP received USD 16 million from Khalistani groups between 2014 and 2022.
