Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a key figure in the organization Sikhs For Justice, revealed on Tuesday that both the FBI and the RCMP have alerted him to a credible new threat on his life. Pannun, who holds dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship, disclosed that the FBI advised him to avoid traveling until the situation is resolved and to notify them in advance if he must travel. Similarly, the RCMP issued a warning to him by phone, without divulging specifics about the threat. The principle of the “duty to warn” mandates that U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies inform individuals of any credible and specific threats to their safety from acts like murder, severe bodily harm, or kidnapping.
Sikhs For Justice, led by Pannun, has been organizing referendums worldwide within the Sikh diaspora to advocate for an independent state called Khalistan, provoking the ire of the Indian government. Recently, Inderjeet Singh Gosal, who assumed leadership of the movement in Canada following the 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, received a similar threat warning from the RCMP. Gosal was appointed by Pannun as Nijjar’s successor after Nijjar was killed in Surrey, B.C. Four individuals from India are awaiting trial in connection to Nijjar’s murder, with two men in California charged with orchestrating the killing, although they are not in U.S. custody.
The current threat against Pannun coincides with the upcoming sentencing of Nikhil Gupta from India, scheduled for November 20 in a Manhattan federal court. Gupta pleaded guilty earlier this year to involvement in a 2023 plot to assassinate Pannun, allegedly under the direction of an Indian government official. Gupta’s attempt to carry out the assassination led him to communicate unwittingly with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a hitman. He pleaded guilty to charges including murder for hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering, facing a minimum of twenty years in prison as per federal sentencing guidelines.
In response to the threats, Pannun, who acquired Canadian citizenship in the early 2000s and resides in Ontario, expressed defiance and resoluteness, dismissing the attempts to intimidate him. He urged both the U.S. and Canadian governments to address concerns with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding threats to their countries’ sovereignty. Pannun asserted that the persistent threats only strengthen his resolve and belief in the effectiveness of his advocacy, emphasizing that he will persist despite the risks involved.
