iNDICA NEWS BUREAU–
India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) — the country’s counter-terrorism law enforcement organization — has registered a case against ‘listed individual terrorist’ Gurpatwant Singh Pannun over a video in which he threatened passengers flying Air India, the airlines with a global blockade, and the closure of its operations from November 19.
On Monday, the NIA booked Pannun under various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.
Pannun, the self-proclaimed ‘general counsel’ of the outlawed Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), is in the eye of a storm following a video message on social media platforms urging Sikhs not to fly on Air India on and after November 19 claiming a threat to their lives. Pannun said in the video that Air India will not be allowed to operate anywhere in the world.
His threats triggered a security alert and investigations in Canada, India and certain other countries where Air India flies. Several airports in India were put under heightened security protocols.
In the video, Pannun is seen as saying, “The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) should remain closed on the 19th of November.” IGIA, located in New Delhi, is one of the world’s busiest airports.
Pannun, who has been campaigning for a separate Khalistan nation, has been accused by India of creating a false narrative around the issues prevailing in the state of Punjab, especially with regard to the Sikh religion, by promoting enmity between the Sikhs in the country and other communities.
According to Indian law enforcement authorities, the latest threat is in line with the same narrative Pannun has promoted in the past by threatening and attempting to disrupt essential transportation network systems, including the railways, as well as thermal power plants in India.
The Ministry of Home Affairs had, on July 10, 2019, banned SFJ as an ‘unlawful association’ under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). On July 1, 2020, Pannun was listed as an ‘individual terrorist’ by the Central government.
Pannun has been under the NIA lens since 2019 when the anti-terror agency registered its first case against him.
In September 2023, the NIA confiscated his share of the house and land in Amritsar in Punjab and in Chandigarh, a union territory. Non-bailable arrest warrants were issued against Pannun by the NIA Special Court on February 3, 2021, and he was declared a ‘Proclaimed Offender (PO)’ on November 29, 2022.
India’s NIA registers case against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun over threat to Air India
