Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is considered a terrorist by India’s government and poses a significant risk to national security, but for many Sikhs abroad he represents their cause as leader of New York-based Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). He brings together large parts of their global diaspora.
U.S. officials successfully foiled an attempt by Pannun’s organization to assassinate him; their organization organized non-binding referendums among overseas Sikh communities for Khalistan as an independent state within India. According to reports in The Financial Times and elsewhere, their assassin could have been an agent working for RAW.
Khalistan movement leader Pannun’s death
U.S. authorities have charged an Indian official with plotting the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader on U.S. soil. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual U.S. and Canadian citizen who leads Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) was identified by US Justice as being involved. Pannun and SFJ advocate for the secession of Punjab – which has a large Sikh population – from India and the creation of Khalistan as an independent homeland called Khalistan; New Delhi considers such separatists to be terrorist groups; New Delhi has killed several such militants abroad, including Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia last year.
The Justice Department alleges that an Indian national employed at India’s Ministry of Home Affairs named Amanat is believed to have collaborated with another individual – Nikhil Gupta, who was arrested in Prague and extradited subsequently – in planning the assassination.
Pannun, who heads SFJ and holds dual US-Canadian citizenship, was the intended target. Pannun’s call for a separate Sikh homeland has failed to gain much traction within India after it was effectively eradicated through violent insurgencies in the 1980s and 90s. Yet, his cause continues to gain support among diasporic Sikhs, with symbolic referendums for Khalistan organized by Pannun.
Khalistan secessionist assassination
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US-Canadian immigration attorney who was the target of a foiled murder plot, has put India under scrutiny. Accusers in the U.S. allege he has links to an Indian official; this claim has raised fears that New Delhi is interfering in one sovereign nation’s internal affairs.
Pannun, who serves as legal counsel to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), has long supported a secessionist movement called Khalistan to create an independent state in Punjab, Northern India, that would break free of India. India prohibits this activity as it poses a severe threat to its sovereignty.
Pannun has taken to posting videos on social media where he criticizes India’s policies he sees as anti-Sikh and encourages the diaspora to support him. He maintains he’s not a terrorist, but instead, his aim is to pursue the right of self-determination for Sikhs worldwide.
In its indictment against Gupta, the U.S. government claims he worked together with an anonymous Indian government employee (CC-1 in court documents) to hire an assassin and kill Pannun as soon as possible without compromising planned engagements between senior U.S. and Indian officials. The aim was allegedly to carry out this plan quickly without creating conflict with engagements between high-level U.S. and Indian officials.
Pannun’s Assassination Global Reaction
Pannun has become the face of the Khalistani movement since being designated a terrorist and sedition suspect by Indian authorities, pushing for its establishment in Western countries and offering rewards to Indian Sikhs who write pro-Khalistan slogans or raise flags on government buildings or raise the flag in support of his cause. Recently, he made headlines for threatening to bomb Air India flights – which caused alarm among officials in India.
U.S. courts recently claimed that an Indian government official collaborated with an American citizen to assassinate Pannun, leader of Khalistani separatist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). RAW agent Nikhil Gupta forwarded information regarding Pannun’s location and made contact with prospective assassins, so they were prepared to kill Pannun on U.S. soil.
These allegations have raised severe concerns over Delhi’s relationship with Washington. A high-level inquiry committee was appointed to examine these claims. India informed the U.S. that it would investigate other possible links with Gupta and take appropriate action against him as necessary. In connection with this matter, the U.S. has also issued summonses against Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and DGP Gaaurav Yadav about this case; these individuals have 21 days to respond.
India’s response
India has demanded that countries with large Sikh populations enforce laws that crack down on groups promoting separatism, such as Pannun’s SFJ. While it doesn’t enjoy much support within India, this movement enjoys widespread support across Sikh diaspora communities worldwide.
U.S. federal prosecutors recently charged Nikhil Gupta, of Indian nationality, with conspiring to murder activist Sheena Pannun. A landmark indictment alleged that Gupta worked for an unnamed Indian government official who approved of Gupta’s contract killing of Pannun. Additionally, Vikram Yadav, an agent with India’s intelligence agency R&AW was listed among Gupta’s co-conspirators.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Tim Kaine (D-Virginia), Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), in an open letter sent on Monday to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, requested a robust diplomatic response to hold all those involved accountable and inquire about its status in engaging New Delhi on this issue. They asked for a briefing on any such dialogue as well.
Democratic senators noted that New Delhi publicly refuted allegations made in a Washington Post report alleging involvement of an R&AW official in an assassination plot, with their chief at that time having approved it. Furthermore, their actions are at odds with international human rights commitments made by New Delhi.