The property of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the head of the pro-Khalistan extremist group Sikh For Justice (SFJ), has been taken by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). This response comes after Pannun recently posted a vile video threatening open violence against Hindus in Canada. Property has been seized by the investigation agency in Amritsar and Chandigarh.
“Today, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) seized Gurpatwant Singh’s assets in Amritsar and Chandigarh. Singh is the self-described General Counsel of the Sikh For Justice (SFJ) group and a ‘designated person terrorist’ located in Canada. As directed by the Special Court of the NIA, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab, on September 14, 2023, this is the first instance in which the NIA has seized the property of a fugitive accused under Section 33(5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. This is for the general public’s information, according to the sign posted outside of Pannun’s home in Sector 15, Chandigarh.
In the Jalandhar district’s Khankot, Pannun’s ancestral hamlet, a similar warning was delivered to his agricultural property. In connection with a 2020 terrorism-related case, the NIA had taken 46 acres of Pannun’s agricultural land.
The investigative agency’s move comes at a time when political tensions between India and Canada over Khalistani extremism are still very much present. In the case of the Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who is based in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada has steadfastly denied India’s accusations of involvement in the killing of Indian intelligence agents, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India has not yet made any public statements.
The notice read, “Portion of House No. 2033, Sector 15-C, Chandigarh, the property owned by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, which is ‘tainted property’ under section 33(5) of UAP Act, 1967, has been confiscated by the State under a confiscation order dated September 14, 2023, passed by the Special Court of NIA, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab, in NIA Case RC-19/2020/NIA/DLI. This is for the general public’s information.
Following the assassination of Khalistani extremist and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Pannun gained notoriety after publishing a video in Canada on September 18 in which he threatened violence against Hindus on Canadian soil and accused Indian operatives of being involved. India has angrily denied Trudeau’s accusations, calling them “motivated” and “baseless.”
One of the founders of the radical Sikh For Justice (SFJ), which is aggressively promoting a separate Sikh state known as Khalistan in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
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The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs labeled Pannun as a “terrorist” in July 2020. Two months later, the government froze Pannun’s assets by using Section 51 A of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. In his home state of Punjab, Pannun has been waging a campaign against India and encouraging young Sikhs to become terrorists.
In particular, Pannun has allegedly worked with Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, whose claimed involvement spans both Ottawa and New Delhi and is the subject of a diplomatic dispute between the two.