Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun revealed on Tuesday that he has been alerted by the FBI and the RCMP about a credible new threat to his life. This warning comes amidst an ongoing case involving a man facing sentencing later this year for a 2023 plot to harm Pannun.
Pannun, who serves as the general counsel for Sikhs For Justice, disclosed that FBI agents visited him on August 12 and advised him not to travel until the threat is neutralized. Furthermore, they instructed him to inform the agency beforehand if he decides to travel. Additionally, Pannun, a citizen of both the U.S. and Canada, received a warning from the RCMP via phone on the same day. However, specific details about the threat were not disclosed by either law enforcement agency.
In the United States, an established “duty to warn” protocol mandates that American intelligence and law enforcement agencies inform individuals when they uncover credible and specific threats of murder, severe bodily harm, or kidnapping against them.
Sikhs for Justice has been actively organizing referendums across the global Sikh community, advocating for an independent state named Khalistan, a move that has stirred controversy with the Indian government. Recently, Inderjeet Singh Gosal, who assumed leadership of Sikhs for Justice in Canada following the tragic 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, received a threat warning on August 14. Gosal was appointed by Pannun to succeed Nijjar, who was fatally shot in a Sikh temple parking lot in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023.
In a separate case, four Indian nationals are awaiting trial in connection with Nijjar’s killing after being apprehended in Edmonton and Ontario in early 2024. Two individuals in California have been charged by federal officials for orchestrating the murder, although they are not currently in U.S. custody.
Meanwhile, Indian national Nikhil Gupta is awaiting sentencing on November 20 in a Manhattan federal court after pleading guilty earlier this year to participating in a 2023 plot, along with others, to assassinate Pannun. Gupta, who was reportedly instructed by an Indian government employee, unknowingly communicated with an undercover officer posing as a hitman. He pleaded guilty to various charges, including murder for hire, conspiracy to commit murder for hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, with federal guidelines suggesting a minimum of twenty years in prison for him.
Despite the threats and challenges, Pannun remains resolute in his stance, asserting that he is undeterred by attempts to silence him. He called upon the U.S. and Canadian governments to address the threats to their sovereignty posed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration, emphasizing the need for accountability. Pannun expressed his determination to continue his advocacy work, stating, “I’m going to continue, even at the cost of a bullet.”