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. Pannun, who serves as the general counsel for Sikhs For Justice, disclosed that FBI agents advised him on August 12 to refrain from traveling until the threat is addressed. He was also instructed to inform the agency beforehand if he plans to travel. Additionally, the RCMP cautioned him over the phone on the same day, but no specifics about the threat were provided by either agency.
In the United States, a “duty to warn” procedure mandates that American intelligence and law enforcement agencies notify individuals upon discovering credible and specific threats of murder, severe bodily harm, or kidnapping against them.
Sikhs for Justice has been organizing referendums worldwide within the Sikh diaspora to advocate for an independent nation-state known as Khalistan, causing tension with the Indian government. A recent referendum took place in Indianapolis with another scheduled for Edmonton on October 18.
Inderjeet Singh Gosal, who now leads the Sikhs for Justice movement in Canada following the 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, received a warning letter on August 14 regarding a potential threat. Gosal was appointed by Pannun to succeed Nijjar, who was killed in Surrey, B.C., in June 2023. Four Indian nationals are awaiting trial in connection with Nijjar’s murder after being arrested in Edmonton and Ontario in the spring of 2024. Two individuals in California have been charged with ordering the killing, but 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 involvement in a 2023 plot to assassinate Pannun. Gupta, directed by an Indian government employee, communicated with an undercover law enforcement officer, believing the officer was a hitman. Gupta pleaded guilty to murder for hire, conspiracy to commit murder for hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, facing a minimum of two decades in prison according to federal sentencing guidelines.
Despite the threats, Pannun, a dual U.S. and Canadian citizen, remains resolute and unafraid. He emphasized the need for the U.S. and Canadian governments to address threats to their sovereignty from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration. Pannun expressed determination to continue his activism and advocacy, undeterred by the risks involved.
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