Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a notable Sikh separatist figure, disclosed on Tuesday that both the FBI and the RCMP have alerted him to a fresh, credible threat to his life. This warning comes on the heels of another individual awaiting sentencing later this year for a 2023 assassination plot against him.
Pannun, serving as the general counsel for Sikhs For Justice, revealed that FBI agents visited him on August 12 to advise against traveling until the threat is neutralized. He was instructed to notify the agency beforehand if he chooses to travel. Additionally, Pannun, holding dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship, received a phone warning from the RCMP on Tuesday. However, no specific details about the threat were provided by either law enforcement entity, and requests for comment from both organizations went unanswered.
In the United States, there exists a “duty to warn” protocol mandating American intelligence and law enforcement agencies to inform individuals upon discovering credible and specific threats of murder, severe bodily harm, or kidnapping directed towards them.
Sikhs for Justice has been spearheading a series of referendums worldwide within the Sikh diaspora, advocating for an independent nation-state named Khalistan. Recently, a referendum was held in Indianapolis, with another scheduled for Edmonton on October 18, sparking tensions with the Indian government.
Following the 2023 tragic shooting death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Inderjeet Singh Gosal now leads the Sikhs for Justice movement in Canada. Gosal was warned of a threat through a letter on August 14, initially contacted by the RCMP by phone. He was appointed by Pannun to succeed Nijjar, who was fatally shot in a Sikh temple parking lot in Surrey, B.C., on June 18, 2023.
The killing of Nijjar led to the arrest of four Indian nationals in Edmonton and Ontario in the spring of 2024. Furthermore, two men in California were charged earlier this summer with orchestrating the killing, although they are not currently in U.S. custody.
Nikhil Gupta from India awaits sentencing on November 20 in a Manhattan federal court. Gupta had pleaded guilty earlier this year to involvement in a 2023 plot to assassinate Pannun. The FBI revealed that Gupta was instructed by an Indian government official to carry out the assassination, unknowingly interacting with an undercover officer posing as a hitman. Gupta pleaded guilty to various charges, including murder for hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering, with federal guidelines suggesting a minimum of twenty years in prison.
Pannun, expressing his defiance, emphasized that the threats do not deter him. He called upon both the U.S. and Canadian governments to address Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding threats to their nations’ sovereignty. Despite the ongoing threats, Pannun remains resolute in his activism, affirming that such challenges reinforce his commitment to his cause, stating, “I’m going to continue, even at the cost of a bullet.”