 "Rumours around Khalistan terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun's death: What we know")
The Khalistan menace is not dying down any time soon; two days ago, India’s consulate in San Francisco was set on fire while in Canada, Khalistanis targeted two desi diplomats. In Canada, there’s also the talk of a Khalistan Freedom Rally to be conducted next week. Amid this problem, social media blew up last night (5 July) about the death of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the founder of the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) outfit. However, hours later a video emerged showing him to be threatening the safety of Indian embassies. It is important to note, however, that neither the United States authorities – Pannun resides in America – nor the Indian authorities have confirmed his demise.
So, what is it? Is he dead? Is he alive? We try to decode the confusion around him. Pannun dead in road accident? Some reports on Wednesday reported that Gurpatwant Singh Pannun , declared a terrorist by India, died in a road accident in the US. Twitter users reported that Pannun was driving on Highway-101 in America when it met with an accident, leading to his demise. Several Twitter users shared the news of his death with even the convenor of Mumbai’s BJP IT Cell @PallaviCT posting ‘unconfirmed reports’ on Pannun’s death in a car accident.
There has been no official confirmation since then, which has led to even more intense speculation. However, one Twitter user, identified as Jaspinder Kaur, refuted all the rumours and claimed that the SFJ chief was “alive and well”.
A News18 report, citing Sukhi Chahal – founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Khalsa Today – also confirmed his well-being. Chahal said: “Regarding news about the alleged car accident in my neighbourhood in California and the death of SFJ’s Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, I would like to emphasise that the information is fake and false. I kindly urge everyone to refrain from spreading his misinformation.” To make matters more confusing, there emerged conflicting reports of Pannun himself releasing a video that the SFJ would besiege Indian missions on Independence Day. According to a Hindustan Times report, Pannun in the video states, “You just wait, this is a start. On 15 August, the Sikh community is going to besiege every terror house that is an Indian embassy.” Prior to all of this, reports had stated that Pannun had gone into hiding after the death of fellow Khalistanis, Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Avatar Singh Khanda in the UK. According to an India Today report, the SFJ chief went underground after his close aide, Hardeep Singh Nijjar (45), was shot dead by two unidentified assailants in Canada’s Surrey on 18 June. Also read: How three Khalistani terrorists died suddenly in past two months The report further states that Pannun has stopped all activities since Nijjar’s death and has not even released any video or message in support of his close aide. Who is dreaded terrorist Pannun? Believed to be 50-52 years old, Pannun reportedly hails from Khankot, a village in Punjab’s Amritsar district. In 2007, he formed the Sikhs for Justice group in the United States with the aim of being “an international advocacy and human rights group with the express intent of achieving self-determination for the Sikh people in their historic homeland in the region of Indian held Punjab and establishing a sovereign state, popularly known as Khalistan.” The outfit has been outlawed in India. In 2014, using his legal background, Pannun started filing cases against Indian politicians travelling to the United States or Canada, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former PM Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Shiromani Akali Dal’s Sukhbir Singh Badal. A case filed by him also led to former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh cancelling his Canada visit in 2016. Two years later, Pannun also called for ‘Referendum 2020’ “to liberate Punjab that’s currently occupied by India” in London. This led to the Indian government banning Pannun’s group under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Pannun was designated as a terrorist under the UAPA, with the Centre then saying, “These individuals are involved in various acts of terrorism from foreign soil. They have been trying to revive militancy in Punjab.” Pannun, according to a report in The Caravan, had also written to Xi Jinping in June 2020, empathising with the people of China after the Galwan clash. He had condemned “India’s violent aggression causing death of several soldiers of China at Ladakh valley border. Recently, Pannun has also issued threats to Prime Minister Modi and sent a recorded message to journalists in Assam, threatening the PM during his visit to the northeastern state on 14 April. His outfit also took responsibility for painting pro-Khalistan slogans outside the SDM office in Punjab’s Moga ahead of the G20 meeting in Amritsar in March. He later also put out a video claiming his supporters would storm the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .