NIA searches four Punjab locations in Pannun case

The case pertains to the alleged promotion of terror-related activities and violence by Pannun, the “designated terrorist” of banned outfit Sikhs for Justice

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday (September 20, 2024) conducted searches at four locations in Punjab in connection with a case related to the alleged promotion of terror-related activities and violence by Gurupatwant Singh Pannun, the “designated terrorist” of banned outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).

The searches were carried out at one location each in Moga and Mohali, and two in Bathinda, in the case registered by the NIA in 2023 against Pannun and other SFJ members. He was designated as a listed individual terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs on July 1, 2020, and the outfit was banned on July 10, 2019. Pannun is being probed by various investigating agencies in multiple cases.

Through a video clip released on November 4, 2023, Pannun had urged members of the Sikh community not to fly with Air India from November 19, 2023, onwards. He claimed that there would otherwise be a potential threat to their lives. “Pannun also threatened that Air India would not be allowed to operate across the world,” the agency had said. The accused had also issued a warning to the Indian government, stating that Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport would remain closed on November 19.

The NIA alleged that as part of his concerted plan to revive and promote terror acts in India, Pannun had been creating a false narrative around the issues prevailing in Punjab. “The latest threat is in line with the same narrative, which Pannun has actively promoted in the past by threatening and attempting to disrupt essential transportation network systems, including the Railways, as well as thermal power plants in India,” it had alleged.

Published - September 20, 2024 10:15 pm IST