US-based Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the founder of the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), designated as a terrorist by the Government of India, has issued fresh threats ahead of Republic Day, reports news agency ANI. The warning follows the circulation of viral images on social media depicting pro-Khalistani graffiti in the national capital, carrying threats related to the Republic Day parade on January 26. According to ANI, the graffiti asserts that the banned SFJ aims to "avenge" the death of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Nijjar was killed outside a Gurdwara in Surrey, Canada, on June 18 last year by unidentified assailants. The Government of India declared Sikhs for Justice an 'Unlawful Association' on July 10, 2019.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, designated as a 'designated terrorist' on July 1, 2020, has been actively encouraging Punjab-based gangsters and youth through social media to support the cause of Khalistan, challenging the sovereignty, integrity, and security of the country, ANI report said citing NIA investigations. This is not the first time Pannun has issued such threats against India.
Pannun Calls On Punjab Gangsters To Join SFJ
According to another report by news agency PTI, Pannun also issued a veiled threat to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and police chief Gaurav Yadav, urging gangsters in the state to join the banned outfit Sikhs For Justice and prevent top political leaders from attending the Republic Day parade.
Pannun compared Mann to former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, who was assassinated in a bomb blast on August 31, 1995, in an email sent to some journalists and two videos obtained by PTI. It is to be noted that the banned terror group Babbar Khalsa International carried out the blast, which killed 17 others.
Pannun also equated Yadav, the director general of Punjab Police, to assassinated police officer Gobind Ram, who was killed in a bomb blast in 1990.
Punjab Police officials, speaking on condition of anonymity told PTI that Pannun and his organisation have issued threats in the past as well and all necessary precautions have been taken to ensure "tight security" for all VIPs in the state.
According to the PTI report, in one of Pannun's purported videos, he challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the Republic Day parade without security.
"I dare Modi to come to Delhi without security. If you are a popular leader, come to Delhi on R-Day without security, and SFJ will avenge Shaheed Nijjar's assassination by raising the Khalistan flag," he is heard saying in the video, according to PTI.
Thwart Mann's Flag Hoisting On Jan 26: Pannun
In another video, Pannun urged Punjab gangsters to join the SFJ, vote in a Khalistan referendum, and prevent Chief Minister Mann from hoisting the tricolour on Republic Day, according to the PTI report.
The email sent to journalists, however, deviated slightly from the videos, in which Pannun, in addition to calling on Punjab gangsters to join the SFJ, asked them to be recognised as "shaheeds" (martyrs), it added.
In December of the previous year, he threatened to attack Parliament on or before December 13. In November 2023, Pannun urged Sikhs not to fly on Air India aircraft after November 19, claiming their lives could be at risk. He asserted that Air India would not be allowed to operate on November 19.
In September 2023, amid tensions arising from a diplomatic row between India and Canada over the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Pannun called on Hindu-Canadians to leave Canada.
The Ministry of External Affairs informed last year that India has raised concerns about the threats issued by Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun with the United States and Canadian authorities.
Pannun has been on the NIA's radar since 2019, with the anti-terror agency registering its first case against him. He played a significant role in promoting and commissioning terror acts, spreading fear and terror in Punjab and elsewhere in the country through his threats and intimidation tactics, according to NIA investigations.
Non-bailable warrants of arrest were issued against Pannun by the NIA Special Court on February 3, 2021, and he was declared a 'Proclaimed Offender (PO)' on November 29, 2022.
Last year, the NIA seized Pannun's house and land in Amritsar, Punjab, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. These properties were earlier attached following government orders in two separate cases. NIA investigations revealed that Pannun's organisation, Sikhs for Justice, misused cyberspace to radicalise vulnerable youth and incite them to engage in terrorist activities. It also emerged that Pannun was the main handler and controller of the SFJ.