The National Investigation Agency has filed a case under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act against Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun for allegedly announcing a reward of Rs 11 crore to stop Prime Minister Narendra Modi from unfurling the national flag on August 15, The Indian Express reported on Wednesday.
Pannun, an American and Canadian citizen, is a proponent of Khalistan, an independent state for Sikhs sought by some groups. He was declared an “individual terrorist” under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in 2020.
Since 2021, Sikhs for Justice, a secessionist group founded by Panun, has also organised several unofficial “referendums” in foreign countries, including Canada, on whether a separate Sikh homeland should be carved out of India.
The reward for preventing Modi from unfurling the flag was allegedly announced by Panun from Washington during a virtual “press meet” organised at the Lahore Press Club in Pakistan on August 10.
He was booked on August 19 on the instruction of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, according to The Indian Express. This is the seventh first information report filed by the National Investigation Agency against him.
The FIR said that there was “credible information” and a video posted on the Sikhs for Justice’s handle on social media on August 10, in which Pannun declared a reward to prevent Modi from hoisting the national flag at the Red Fort in New Delhi on Independence Day, The Hindu reported.
“He has unveiled a map of new Khalistan which includes Punjab, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh,” the newspaper quoted the FIR as saying. “He has declared that SFJ has formed a Shaheed Jatha to fight against India.”
A Shaheed Jatha is a band of volunteers formed to carry out a specific task, whether in armed combat or nonviolent agitation.
“By doing so he has indulged in activities for disrupting sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of India and spreading disaffection among Sikhs against India,” the FIR further alleged.
Last week, Sikhs For Justice had also called for a 12-hour “siege” on the Indian consulate in Canada’s Vancouver. In a statement, the outfit urged Indian-Canadians to defer their visit to the diplomatic mission on September 18 for their safety.
Sikhs for Justice accused the Indian consulate of operating a spy network in Canada to target supporters of Khalistan.
September 18 also marked two years since Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister at the time, told the country’s Parliament that intelligence agencies were actively pursuing “credible allegations” linking agents of the Indian government to the assassination of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“Two years on, Indian consulates continue to run a spy network and surveillance targeting Khalistan referendum campaigners,” Sikhs For Justice was quoted as having stated.
Nijjar was shot dead near Vancouver by two masked men in June 2023. He was the head of the Khalistan Tiger Force, designated as a “terrorist outfit” in India.
New Delhi rejected Canada’s allegations as “absurd and motivated”. The Indian government also described the claims as Ottawa’s attempt to shift focus from “Khalistani terrorists and extremists who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
Also read: Why are Sikhs abroad more pro-Khalistan than community members living in India?
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