NIA books ‘terrorist’ Gurpatwant Singh Pannun for threatening Air India passengers in viral video

Pro-Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief of banned outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) has been booked by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) over his latest viral video threatening the passengers flying and Air India Airlines with a global blockade and closure of the operations of the airline from 19 November.

In video messages, released on November 4, Pannun had asked Sikhs to stop flying on Air India planes on and after November 19, citing a potential threat to their lives. "The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) would remain closed on the 19th of November." IGIA, located in New Delhi, is one of the world’s busiest airports.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun also threatened that Air India would not be allowed to operate in the world. Pannun’s assertions and threats have triggered a high alert as well as investigations by security forces in Canada, India and certain other countries where Air India flies.

The NIA has booked Pannun under sections 120B, 153A & 506 of the IPC and sections 10, 13, 16, 17, 18, 18B & 20 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. an official statement read.

As part of his concerted plan to promote terror acts in India to revive terrorism in India, Pannun has been creating a false narrative around the issues prevailing in the state of Punjab, especially with regard to Sikh religion, by promoting enmity between the Sikhs in the country and other communities, the official NIA statement read. 

The latest threat is in line with the same narrative, which Pannun has actively promoted in the past by threatening & attempting to disrupt essential transportation network systems, including the Railways, as well as Thermal Power Plants in India.

The Government of India , had, on 10 July 2019, banned SFJ as an ‘unlawful association’ under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for its activities. 

On 1 July 2020, Pannun was listed as an ‘individual terrorist’ by the GoI.

Pannun has been under the NIA's lens since 2019, when the anti-terror agency registered its first case against him. In September, the NIA had confiscated his share of a house and land in Amritsar in Punjab and Chandigarh.

Non-bailable arrest warrants were issued against Pannun by a NIA Special Court on February 3, 2021, and he was declared a "Proclaimed Offender" on November 29 last year.