WASHINGTON: Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has claimed that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned him of “an imminent threat to my life”.
He told CBS News on Thursday that FBI agents had visited his New York City residence to alert him to the threat.
His statement comes ahead of a non-binding “Khalistan Referendum” in Edmonton, Canada on Oct 18. The referendum is organised by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), in which participants will be asked whether Indian Punjab should be declared independent and renamed “Khalistan”.
Sikh separatists demand that their homeland “Khalistan”, meaning “the land of the pure”, be created out of Indian Punjab.
Pannun, a dual American-Canadian citizen and general counsel of SFJ, plans to travel to Canada from the US to attend the referendum.
He claimed that the FBI issued a “Duty to Warn” notification on Oct 15, particularly concerning his planned travel to Canada. He has also reported receiving warnings from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) about threats to his life and his residence in Ontario.
“FBI agents told Pannun they are investigating leads and said the threat is connected to potential travel to Canada to participate in the referendum but did not provide him with any further information,” CBS News reported.
In February, an Indian national pleaded guilty in a US federal court to plotting the assassination of Pannun in New York.
Prosecutors said Nikhil Gupta, 54, admitted to charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with the foiled plot.
According to the US Justice Department, Gupta acted at the direction of an Indian government employee identified as Vikash Yadav, who was employed by India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which oversees the country’s foreign intelligence service, the RAW.
The department said that in May 2023, Yadav recruited Gupta to arrange the killing of Pannun. Gupta contacted a person he believed to be a criminal associate, who was in fact cooperating with US law enforcement. That individual introduced him to an undercover officer posing as a hitman.
Prosecutors said the conspirators agreed on a $100,000 payment for the killing, with about $15,000 paid in advance. The plot was disrupted before any attack could take place.
SFJ says other referendum organisers in Canada have also received warnings in recent months.
In June 2023, Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was assassinated in Surrey, British Columbia, which strained relations between Canada and India. While Canadian authorities have pursued allegations related to the killing, India has denied involvement in violence against Sikh activists abroad.
Pannun has reported fresh warnings about threats to his life as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi seek to strengthen bilateral relations through negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and greater cooperation on security and law enforcement.
The renewed engagement follows tensions over allegations of Indian involvement in threats against Sikh separatist activists in Canada and the United States.
Questioning Ottawa’s approach, Pannun said closer economic and security ties with New Delhi raised questions about Canada’s response to reported threats against Khalistan referendum organisers.
“How can Canada claim progress on security cooperation with India while assassination threats against Khalistan referendum activists continue on Canadian soil?” he asked.