Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is an Indian-born American lawyer, Khalistan militant and founder of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). Pannon has often made headlines for his anti-India activities. It was reported that he disappeared in the United States in June 2023.
Wiki/Biography
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun was born in the village of Khankot in Amritsar, Punjab, India. According to reports, his family immigrated to India from Pakistan after the partition of India in 1947. After completing his education in Punjab, he entered Punjab University to study law. After completing college, Pannon and his brother moved to the United States. There he began practicing law as an attorney.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′7″
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye color: dark brown
family
Parents and siblings
His father Mohinder Singh Pannun (late) was an employee of the Punjab Agricultural Marketing Board. His mother’s name was Amarjit Kaur (deceased). He has two siblings. His brother’s name was Mangwant Singh; he immigrated to the United States with Gurpatwant.
wife and children
His marital status is unknown.
other relatives
His late cousin Diljit Singh Pannun served as High Commissioner to Ghana from 1992 to 1997 and Ambassador to Madagascar from 2005 to 2007.
religion
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun believed in Sikhism.
address
He lives in House No. 350-05 AVE on the 59th floor of the Empire State Building in New York, USA.
Signature/Autograph
Join the Khalistan movement
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun founded Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) in New York, USA, in October 2007 and became the organization’s legal advisor. The organization was founded to seek justice for the Sikhs who died in the anti-Sikh riots that followed the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984.
In 2011, SFJ, under Pannon’s leadership, filed a lawsuit in the US District Court against Indian National Congress (INC) leader Kamal Nath, accusing him of participating in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India. However, the court dismissed the lawsuit on the grounds that the riots did not affect the United States in any way. In September 2013, SFJ filed an amended class action lawsuit against Sonia Gandhi, accusing her of protecting those involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots; however, the lawsuit was dismissed in June 2014 for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and failure to state a claim rejected by the court. In February 2014, SFJ filed a petition in a U.S. court against former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The organization claimed in the lawsuit that Manmohan Singh, while serving as India’s finance minister in the 1990s, provided substantial funding to organizations responsible for oppressing India’s Sikh community. In November 2015, SFJ launched a campaign demanding the release of Jagtar Singh Hawara, one of the conspirators in the murder of Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh .
Pannun announced in London in 2018 that the SFJ would coordinate a 2020 referendum seeking the separation of Punjab from India. According to SFJ, referendums will be held in Pakistan, Australia, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. Furthermore, he mentioned that SFJ plans to set up a permanent office in Lahore with the aim of streamlining the voter registration process and providing important information to the Sikh community. He further said that banners promoting the referendum near Pakistan’s Nankana Sahib will display the image of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
The Indian government issued the ban on SFJ on July 10, 2019 and said in its official statement,
The organization was declared illegal under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.[SFJ] Maintains close ties with armed groups and activists and supports violent extremism and militancy in Punjab and elsewhere to eliminate Khalistan from Indian soil. “
In 2019, it was reported that the Pakistani government joined hands with Pannun to organize workshops and seminars on Khalistan for Sikh pilgrims from India traveling to Pakistan’s Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur. In June 2020, he wrote to Chinese Prime Minister Xi Jinping, expressing solidarity with the Chinese government and criticizing the Indian government over the conflict in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh.
In July 2020, the Indian government declared him a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. In September 2020, the NIA seized 46 land parcels owned by him in Khankot, Amritsar. In October 2020, on the death anniversary of Indira Gandhi, SFJ offered cash rewards and mobile phones to students in Punjab who raised anti-India and anti-Indira Gandhi slogans. Pannu is believed to be the mastermind behind the 2021 farmer protests in New Delhi that turned violent. Thereafter, he announced a $2.5 cash reward for those who hoist the Khalistan flag at the Red Fort in New Delhi in 2021. Republic Day 2022. Talking about this in the video, Pannun said,
January 26 is coming and the Indian tricolor flag appears on the Red Fort. The tricolor was removed on January 26 and replaced by the Khalistan flag. Sikhs for Justice will offer $250,000 to those who remove the Indian tricolor. “
In May 2022, the SFJ claimed responsibility for an RPG attack on the Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali, Punjab. Pannun recordings obtained by Punjab police from two SFJ members in July 2022 show the group trying to provide shelter to those responsible for the death of singer Sidhu Moose Wala. The group also plans to attack Ambala Cantonment Junction Railway Station and Ambala City Railway Station and cause chaos during Independence Day celebrations in Delhi and Punjab. The Indian government requested Interpol to issue a Red Corner Notice (RCN) against Pannun in October 2022; however, Interpol rejected the request citing lack of evidence. In December 2022, in a recording, the SFJ claimed responsibility for the firing of Russian-made RPG-28 rockets at the Tarn Taran police station; however, Pannun refuted this claim and stated that the SFJ was involved in a “peaceful” movement . He also provided monetary assistance to people detained by police after the attack. In April 2023, he issued threats to Assam CM Sarma after imprisoning close associates of Amritpal Singh. He was also responsible for an attack on an Indian Army camp in Bathinda, Punjab, which killed four soldiers; however, the Punjab police refuted this claim. The NIA had seized his ancestral land in Khankot village and residential property in Sector 15 of Chandigarh in September 2023.
mysterious disappearance
On June 20, 2023, multiple sources claimed that Gurpatwant Singh Pannun had gone missing within the past 48 hours. Pannon allegedly went into hiding fearing being targeted after the killing of Canadian Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Facts/Trivia
- Congress leader Gursimram Singh Mand raises flag at Gurpatwant Singh Pannun’s residence in Chandigarh in August 2022 Indian flag as part of Har Ghar Tiranga Abhiyan.
- Gurpatwant Singh Pannun was close to the murdered Khalistani Tigers Force (KTF) chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
- In September 2023, the Gujarat police registered an FIR against Pannun for threatening to disrupt the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. The threats were reportedly delivered via pre-recorded messages to individuals across the country. In a voice message, Pannu allegedly said:
This won’t be the start of the Cricket World Cup, but it will be the start of the World Cup of Horror. We will avenge the assassination of Shahid Nijar. “
On November 19, 2023, during the World Cup final between India and Australia, a boy named Wen Johnson broke through security and entered the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Modi Stadium. He wore a pro-Palestinian T-shirt that read “Stop bombing Palestine.” Security officials soon arrested him, after which he was arrested by police and taken to Chandkheda police station. After his arrest, pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), led by Pannu, announced a $10,000 reward for disrupting the game. However, many international agencies speculated that this might be a trick by SFJ. Johnson said in an interview that his main purpose was to hug Virat Kohli and express his support for Palestine.
- In 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice accused an Indian named Nikhil Gupta of conspiring to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. Nikhil was arrested by Czech authorities on June 30, 2023, in accordance with the U.S.-Czech extradition agreement. The indictment released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows that Nikhil cooperated with an Indian agent known as CC-1, who urged Nikhil to arrange the murder of Pannon in exchange for assistance in dismissing the Indian criminal case. The document further states that Nikhil told him to contact the so-called “hitman” who killed Pannu, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was also targeted; the hitman later turned out to be an undercover American law enforcement officer.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education