Who Is Gurpawant Singh Pannun?
After a video shared by Gurpawant Singh Pannun openly threatened Hindus in Canada to go back to India, the National Investigative Agency of India launched a major crackdown on his properties. His house in Chandigarh was confiscated along with his agricultural land in Amritsar under section 33(5) of the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967).
In the video, Mr. Pannun said, “Indo-Canadian Hindus, you have repudiated your allegiance to Canada and Canadian Constitution. Your destination is India. Leave Canada and go to India”. He also added that the pro-Khalistan Sikhs” have always been loyal to Canada.
His properties including 46 kanal (1 acre = 8 kanal) agricultural land in Amritsar and his house in Sector 15/C in Chandigarh was confiscated by National Investigative Agency.
Gurpawant Singh Pannun is a “Khalistani terrorist” and head of the US based separatist organisation Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) which was banned in July 10, 2019.
The ban was ordered adhering to the group”s primary objective, which is to extract an “independent and sovereign” country of “Khalistan” from Punjab and there by challenging the territorial integrity of India. Mr. Pannun was sealed as “individual terrorist” by India in 2020.
Mr. Pannun was charged with 22 cases since 2017 including three sedition cases. Charges against him include calling youths for terrorist activities and funding terrorist activities in Punjab from abroad.
He was also declared as Proclaimed Offender (PO) in 2022, as per report. The alleged PO is believed to be a close acquaintance of Hardeep Singh Najjar, whose murder has caused the ongoing diplomatic spar between India and Canada.
The political incongruity between India and Canada started with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau”s allegation of Indian official”s hand in Mr. Najjar”s murder. Mr. Pannun has started to openly accentuate his beliefs and “hate threat” towards Hindus in Canada after the Canadian Prime Minister”s remark on Mr. Najjar”s murder.
India has been cracking down the properties belonging to the terrorist network operating from different countries. Earlier, NIA has confiscated Hardeep Singh Najjar”s property based in Jalandhar.
