Khalistani terrorist Pannun threatens to kill Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Punjab DGP on Republic Day: Report

Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has issued threats to assassinate Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the Director General of state Police Gaurav Yadav on Republic Day. According to an India Today report, Pannun called on gangsters to come together and carry out an assault against the Chief Minister on 26 January. These threats mark the most recent incidents in a series of menacing declarations by Pannun, the founder of Sikh For Justice (SFJ) and a designated terrorist, targeting various Indian establishments and authorities. Meanwhile, Pannu also threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi and dared him to attend the Republic Day function on 26 January without security. “I dare Modi, you come to Delhi without your security. If you are a popular leader, come to Delhi on R-Day without security and SFJ is going to avenge the assassination of Shaheed Nijjar by raising Khalistan flag,” Business Today quoted him as saying in a video. In June last year, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed by unidentified assailants at a gurudwara in Canada’s Surrey. The India-Canada ties strained after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in September last year accused “agents of the Indian government” of being involved in the killing of Nijjar. India, in response, dismissed these allegations as “absurd and motivated.” Subsequently, both Ottawa and New Delhi engaged in reciprocal expulsions of diplomats following Trudeau’s claim of Indian involvement in Nijjar’s death. India also temporarily halted the issuance of visas to Canadian citizens and requested Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence in the country for the sake of parity. In compliance, Canada withdrew 41 diplomats along with their family members from India. Last month, a video surfaced featuring Pannun announcing his intention to target the Indian Parliament on or before 13 December. Prior to this, another video emerged in which the Khalistani militant issued a threat on November 19, warning of potential danger to individuals planning to travel via Air India. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has initiated a case against him in connection with the Air India threat video. The government had previously designated the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) as an “unlawful association” in 2019, accusing it of engaging in “anti-national and subversive” activities. Additionally, in 2020, Pannun was classified by the Centre as an “individual terrorist,” citing his encouragement of “Punjab-based gangsters and youth” to advocate for Khalistan. In November of the preceding year, US authorities indicted Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, for his alleged involvement in a murder plot targeting Pannun on American soil. According to US officials, Gupta had agreed to pay $100,000 to an assassin for the execution, with an initial payment of $15,000 made in June of the same year. Subsequently, Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic at the behest of US authorities. With inputs from agencies