Prominent figure in the Sikh separatist movement, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, revealed on Tuesday that he has been alerted by both the FBI and the RCMP about a fresh and credible threat against his life. Pannun, serving as the general counsel for Sikhs For Justice, disclosed that FBI agents advised him not to travel until the threat is neutralized and to inform the agency beforehand if he decides to travel. Similarly, the RCMP contacted Pannun, a citizen of both the U.S. and Canada, by phone to warn him about the potential danger, without disclosing specific details of the threat.
The “duty to warn” protocol in the U.S. mandates intelligence and law enforcement agencies to inform individuals when they identify legitimate and specific threats of murder, severe bodily harm, or kidnapping against them.
Sikhs for Justice has been actively organizing referendums across the Sikh diaspora, advocating for an independent state known as Khalistan, which has drawn ire from the Indian government. Recently, Inderjeet Singh Gosal, who took over the leadership of Sikhs for Justice in Canada after the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023, received a warning letter about a potential threat. Gosal was appointed by Pannun to succeed Nijjar, who was killed in Surrey, B.C., in June 2023.
In a separate incident, four Indian nationals are awaiting trial in connection with Nijjar’s killing, with two individuals in California facing charges of orchestrating the murder. However, neither of them is currently in U.S. custody.
Nikhil Gupta from India is awaiting sentencing in Manhattan federal court for his involvement in a 2023 plot to assassinate Pannun. Gupta had pleaded guilty to murder for hire, conspiracy to commit murder for hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering earlier this year. Federal guidelines suggest Gupta could face a minimum of twenty years in prison for his crimes.
Pannun, who has been a Canadian citizen since the early 2000s, remains resolute in the face of threats, emphasizing that he will persist in his activism despite the risks. 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, asserting that he is undeterred by attempts to silence him and remains committed to his cause.