NIA files FIR against pro-Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun allegedly offered ₹11 crore to stop Prime Minister Narendra Modi from hoisting the national flag on Independence Day this year

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a first information report (FIR) against pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) head Gurpatwant Singh Pannun for offering ₹11 crore to stop Prime Minister Narendra Modi from hoisting the national flag on Independence Day this year, news agency ANI reported.

 

The FIR, registered on August 19, states that Pannun addressed a gathering at the Lahore Press Club in Pakistan on August 10 through a video link from Washington. In his address, Pannun called for rejecting India’s sovereignty over Punjab and advocated the cause of Khalistan.

Delhi Banayga Khalistan: Pannun

The FIR states that Pannun offered ₹11 crore to the sikh soldiers who would stop the PM from hoisting the Tricolour at Red Fort on August 15. According to the report, he also unveiled a ‘Delhi Banayga Khalistan’ map, which incorporates Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi into envisioned Khalistan. 

 

Pannun was declared a designated “individual terrorist” by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in July 2020 and faces multiple cases in the country on terror charges. The group, however, continues to operate legally in Canada, where it maintains that its activities are peaceful and within the law.

SFJ leader arrested in Canada

Last week, SFJ leader and close aide of Pannun Inderjeet Singh Gosal was arrested on several firearms charges in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. He was charged with illegally carrying and carelessly using a banned gun in a way that put public safety at risk. Two other men were also charged with him.

 

Gosal took over as the leader of SFJ after the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023—a murder that strained relations between India and Canada.

 

However, the relations between India and Canada have been improving after Mark Carney was appointed the Prime Minister of Canada. Carney invited PM Narendra Modi to the Group of Seven (G7) meeting in Kananaskis, Alberta, in June. He also appointed new senior diplomats to reopen communication channels and started working with India on sharing information about cross-border crimes.