Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a well-known Sikh separatist figure, revealed that he has been alerted by the FBI and the RCMP about a credible new threat to his life. This warning comes in the wake of another individual awaiting sentencing for a 2023 murder plot against him.
Pannun, serving as the general counsel for Sikhs For Justice, disclosed that FBI agents advised him on August 12 not to travel until the threat is mitigated, emphasizing the need to inform the agency beforehand if he chooses to do so. Additionally, the RCMP contacted him by phone on Tuesday, providing a similar cautionary message, though specific details of the threat were not disclosed by either agency.
In the United States, a “duty to warn” policy mandates intelligence and law enforcement agencies to notify individuals upon discovering credible and specific threats of murder, severe bodily harm, or kidnapping against them.
Sikhs for Justice has been orchestrating a series of referendums globally, advocating for an independent nation-state known as Khalistan, much to the disapproval of the Indian government. Recently, Inderjeet Singh Gosal, who succeeded Hardeep Singh Nijjar in leading the movement in Canada after Nijjar’s tragic death in 2023, received a warning letter on August 14 regarding a potential threat. The RCMP initially contacted Gosal via phone.
Following Nijjar’s killing in Surrey, B.C., four Indian nationals are awaiting trial for their alleged involvement, having been arrested in Edmonton and Ontario in the spring of 2024. Two individuals in California were charged earlier this summer with orchestrating the killing, though they are not currently in U.S. custody.
On a related note, Nikhil Gupta from India awaits sentencing on November 20 in Manhattan federal court after pleading guilty earlier this year to a 2023 plot to assassinate Pannun. Gupta was reportedly instructed by an Indian government official to carry out the assassination, unknowingly interacting with an undercover officer posing as a hitman. He pleaded guilty to several charges, including murder for hire, with potential sentencing guidelines indicating a minimum of twenty years in prison.
Despite the ongoing threats, Pannun, a dual U.S. and Canadian citizen, remains resolute and undeterred, asserting that he is not afraid of the death threats aimed at him. He has urged both the U.S. and Canadian governments to address the threats to their sovereignty posed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration.
Pannun expressed his determination to persist in his activism and advocacy work, stating, “I’m going to continue, even at the cost of a bullet.”