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Gurpatwant Singh Pannun
In a year marked by geopolitical tensions and turbulence, India and China ended an over four-and-a-half-year border standoff and announced steps to reduce mistrust even as New Delhi faced fresh challenges after deposed Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country in the face of a mass movement against her rule. The year 2024 saw India shifting gears in expanding its strategic heft in the neighbourhood and beyond with a steely resolve while navigating the two most consequential crises -- the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict. At the fag end of the year, New Delhi was readying its approach in dealing with US President-elect Donald Trump's second term amid fears that his policy approach relating to trade and tariff may have profound implications for international trade. Though the overall India-US relations broadly continued to blossom, especially in the domains of defence, critical technologies and clean energy, the ties came under some strain over the so-called
The Akhada Parishad hit out at Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannu for trying to instigate division between communities after he allegedly issued a threat to target the Maha Kumbh in a video. Following the death of three Khalistani Zindabad Force militants in an encounter with the UP and Punjab police in Pilibhit on Monday, a video threatening to disrupt the key bathing dates of the Magh Mela on -- January 14 (Makar Sankranti), January 29 (Mauni Amavasya), and February 3 (Basant Panchami) -- surfaced on social media, with the voice in the video being attributed to Khalistan supporter Pannu. Pannu is the chief of banned outfit Sikhs For Justice and has been designated a terrorist by the Indian government. Addressing the media in Mahakumbh Nagar, Mahant Ravindra Puri, the president of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad, said, "If this person named Pannu dares to enter our Maha Kumbh, he will be beaten and driven out. We have seen hundreds of such lunatics." "This is the Ma
The US has said it would not be fully satisfied until there is "meaningful accountability" resulting from India's investigations into the alleged foiled plot to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil. The Indian government has denied its association or involvement with such a plot to kill an American national on US soil. Following allegations by the US, New Delhi had set up an inquiry committee to investigate the matter. We continue to expect and want to see accountability based on the results of that investigation, and certainly the United States won't be fully satisfied until there is meaningful accountability resulting from that investigation, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at a news conference. Patel was responding to a question on last week's visit of an Indian Enquiry Committee to the US for talks. There was valuable engagement with India's inquiry committee last week, and information was exchanged between our tw
As an Indian inquiry committee set up in connection with alleged foiled plot to kill Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun had a meeting with the officials in the US, India on Thursday said it has taken inputs provided by the US "very seriously". Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said this during a press briefing here. In response to another query on the person identified in an indictment of the US Department of Justice (DoJ) in connection with the case, Jaiswal confirmed that the person is "no longer an employee of the government of India". The US earlier said the Indian government has expressed seriousness in dealing with the allegations of the plot to kill Pannun. A team of Indian officials had a meeting recently with the officials of the State Department and Department of Justice in Washington. Following the allegations by the US, India appointed a high-level inquiry committee to look into the inputs provided by the US on the plot. Two members of the
India has stated it is taking seriously the allegations of a plot to kill an American citizen, the United States on Tuesday said as a team of visiting Indian officials had a meeting with the officials of the State Department and Department of Justice here. I don't have a readout on the meeting yet. The meeting was here as a follow-up on conversations we have been having with the Government of India at the senior-most levels over the past several months, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily news conference. They have told us that they are taking the allegations seriously, that the activities contained in the DOJ indictment do not represent government policy, Miller said in response to a question. So the meeting that happened this week or that is happening today by India's inquiry was to discuss their active investigation into the matter, for us to update them on our active investigation into the matter, and to continue to share sides about steps .
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches at four locations in Punjab on Friday as part of its probe in a terror-conspiracy case involving designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), a banned organisation associated with him. NIA teams swooped down at one location in Moga, two locations in Bathinda and one location in Mohali, at premises connected with suspects in the case, an official statement said. The searches led to the seizure of various incriminating materials, including digital devices, which are under examination, it added. The case relates to a conspiracy allegedly hatched by Pannun with other members of the SFJ, the statement issued by the NIA said. "The NIA on Friday conducted searches at four locations across Punjab in a case related to the promotion of terror-related activities and violence by SFJ leader Gurupatwant Singh Pannun," it added. The agency had registered the case against Pannun and the SFJ on November 17,
India on Thursday rejected as completely "unwarranted and unsubstantiated" a lawsuit filed in a US court against the Indian government and certain Indian officials by Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in an alleged foiled plot to assassinate him. Pannun, who heads the radical group Sikhs for Justice filed the civil lawsuit in a US federal district court in New York demanding damages for the alleged attempt to eliminate him on American soil last year. In November last year, US federal prosecutors charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta of working with an Indian government employee in the foiled plot to kill Pannun in New York. Replying to a question at a media briefing on the civil lawsuit filed by Pannun, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri described it as "unwarranted" and "unsubstantiated imputations". Pannun, wanted in India on terror charges, holds dual citizenship of the US and Canada. "As we've said earlier, these are completely unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations. Now