Chandigarh, Jan 23 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will now unfurl the national flag on the occasion of Republic Day at Patiala instead of Faridkot, said officials.

Earlier, he was to attend the Republic Day celebrations in Faridkot. No reason was cited for the change of venue.

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Asked whether there was any input about a threat which led to change in the venue, Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav refused to comment on the matter. Yadav was speaking to reporters in Patiala.

Earlier in the day, pro-Khalistan slogans were found scribbled on a wall near the sports stadium in the Faridkot district, said police. Besides, a flag, with Khalistan written on it, was also recovered, said police.

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A Faridkot police officer said a case will be registered in the matter, adding that investigation was underway.

The slogans were found written in the area which is away from the venue where the Republic Day event is to take place, said the officer.

In a purported video, pro-Khalistan leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of the banned outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) claimed responsibility for this alleged act. Pannun had been designated as a terrorist by the Union Home Ministry under the anti-terror law.

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