NEW DELHIL: SFJ operatives based in the US have been involved in the assault of moderate Sikh political leaders visiting that country.
India’s highest decision-making body on security affairs, Cabinet Committee on Security, comprising the Prime Minister of India, Minister of Defence, Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Finance, and Minister of External Affairs, thoroughly reviewed a dossier presented by security agencies containing detailed allegations, acts, and evidence against the Khalistani terrorist group Sikhs for Justice and its leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Following this review, the group was eventually banned in July 2019 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
Despite being given a chance to rebut the charges that were levelled, Pannun, his brother Avtar Singh Pannun and the SFJ chose not to appear before the court even as they were represented by a team of well-established lawyers in Delhi.
These developments assume significance as the Joe Biden administration in the United States—where Pannun is a citizen—has been defending him and his actions, directly and indirectly, by stating that he was not espousing terrorism against India but merely exercising his freedom of speech and expressions.
The material placed on record by the security agencies in front of the CCS, included transcripts, sensitive information, affidavits and statements that were given by officials and people involved with the probe bringing out how SFJ and Pannun were involved in anti-national and subversive activities in Punjab and elsewhere, to disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India.
These documents and inputs, that were also judicially scrutinized by a UAPA tribunal later on, showed how SFJ was in close touch with other terror outfits and activists to carve out a sovereign Khalistan out of Indian territory. This convinced the Central Government that if the unlawful activities of SFJ were not curbed and controlled immediately, it would lead to an escalation of its subversive activities including attempts to carve out a Khalistan nation out of the territory of Union of India by destabilising the government established by law.
The security agencies had found that while SFJ had no known presence in India, its modules and their activities in India were being operated by their foreign based handlers, most of whom based in the United States, Canada and Pakistan.
The US is the biggest hub of the SFJ where it holds meetings intending to cause disaffection against India.
On 31 March 2024, the SFJ held a referendum meeting in Sacramento, California, enlisting signatures to establish an independent nation of “Khalistan”. The event was organized by Avtar Singh Pannun, who is the president of Sikhs for Justice.
The website of SFJ, www.referendum2020.org is not a normal referendum site but replete with pro-Khalistani posts and anti-India insinuations. The website has posters with photos of Sikh terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale juxtaposed with posters saying “Stop Indian terrorism” and “Free Punjab, End Indian occupation”.
It propagates “Right to Self-Determination under International Law” for the people of Punjab, claiming that Punjabi is the common language and Sikhs being predominant in Punjab, they have the right to self-determination, based on language and religion. It also supports dissolution of India into several smaller states such as Punjab (Khalistan), Gorkhaland, Assam, Kashmir, South India, Maoist insurrections.
The website, as per the details shared with the CCS, also has a link for raising funds for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) for the purpose of campaign for a so-called Referendum 2020 through a PayPal account and a debit or credit card, so as to escalate its subversive activities in India and abroad.
In August 2018, SFJ had organized the “London Declaration” on the so-called “Referendum 2020” where approximately 1,500 Sikhs took part from the UK and abroad.
SFJ also launched the registration of “Team 2020”, to solicit a team of volunteers to assist during the referendum campaign, from Gurdwara Panja Sahib at Hassan Abdal, Pakistan in April 2019 followed by a similar exercise at Stockton, California, and Surrey, British Columbia in Canada.
It had also offered to reimburse travelling expenses to Sikhs visiting Gurdwara Panja Sahib on the occasion. It declared that it would sponsor 10,000 Sikh pilgrims from India to attend the “Khalistan 2020 Convention” to be held at Kartarpur in November 2019, coinciding with celebrations related to the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.
SFJ had started registration of volunteers online, in other locations across the world, including Khalsa Diwan Gurdwara, Hong Kong, US-based gurdwaras including Gurdwara Sikh Cultural Society, Richmond Hill, New York, Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Carteret, New Jersey and Gurdwara Stockton, California and during the “Sikh Day Parades” held in New York and Surrey.
SFJ organized fund-raising conferences in Fremont, California, Toronto and New York to ensure participation of the Sikh youth among the diaspora in the campaign. SFJ, in coordination with Sikh Club of Queens College, New York organized a meet on “Khalistan” and so-called “Referendum 2020”. Earlier, similar events were held at University of California; San Jose State University and California Polytechnic University, Pomona wherein they incited the youth to indulge in unlawful activities with the aid of their Punjab-based friends and relatives.
As per the details that show that Pannun and SFJ are not normal activists, in November 2018, Pannun wrote to the US Ambassador in New Delhi complaining against the measures taken by the government on the operatives affiliated with the so-called “Referendum 2020” campaign in Punjab. He falsely accused the Indian government of “unleashing a reign of terror” by “labelling peaceful campaigners” as terrorists and filing “false charges” against them. Such representations were then tweeted on social media to garner support for SFJ.
Pannun also wrote a letter to the then Chinese ambassador in Islamabad, Yao Jing, in which he falsely alleged the involvement of Indian intelligence in the attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi. In addition, Pannun falsely accused India of “disturbing peace, security and stability” in China, Pakistan and Afghanistan over the last three decades, and held India “responsible” for the July 2018 attack in Jalalabad (Afghanistan). Pannun further falsely alleged that India is not only “sponsoring terrorism” in foreign countries to “discredit Pakistan” but is also “violently” crushing the “domestic democratic movements for independence in Punjab and Kashmir”.
SFJ in February 2019 through social media posts incited the teachers of Punjab, who had been protesting demanding higher remunerations and better service conditions, to promote the so-called “Referendum 2020” in their schools and colleges, articulating that a change in government would not help resolve their issues, and “independence” was the only solution to ensure that their salaries were brought at par with developed countries.
The SFJ and its members, including the UK-based SFJ operative Dapinder Jit Singh, through social media, described the procedure of downloading and using Virtual Private Network (VPN) app and to aid and abet anti-national and subversive activities in India and elsewhere.
In addition, in December 2018, SFJ also released a fictitious letter purportedly written by “Deputy Director General in Psy-Ops Wing of the Directorate of Military Intelligence”, which claimed that Sikhs in the Indian armed forces were “getting united and secretly” extending support to so-called “Referendum2020” and that called for maintaining a database of the Sikh personnel in the armed forces and “controlling” their further recruitment, intended to escalate its subversive and secessionist activities. SFJ and its operatives have been trying to radicalize, fund and motivate the youth of Punjab into committing acts of arson and violence.
SFJ also enlisted the support of gangsters and radicals in Punjab to fight for the “liberation of Punjab” from the Indian government.
The details collected against Pannun and SFJ show that the Punjab Police had registered criminal cases against SFJ leaders abroad and operatives based in India who had been radicalized, indoctrinated, motivated and funded by SFJ leaders to carry out acts of violence, such as burning of liquor shops and targeting of political and social leaders/workers belonging to a particular community.
Arms and ammunition were recovered from members of such radical modules and ample evidence was collected to prove that such modules were being funded by above-mentioned SFJ leaders and operatives based in various South, Eastern, Western and even African countries, through money transfers over MTSS or Hawala channels.
In May 2018, Batala Police arrested two radical operatives Dharminder Singh (a Territorial Army soldier) and Kirpal Singh, who had set two liquor vends on fire in Batala police district. During preliminary investigations, these SFJ operatives disclosed that they had been radicalized, indoctrinated, motivated and funded by their foreign based handlers, including Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Harmeet Singh @ Harpreet Singh @ Rana Singh (close associate of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun based in New York), Paramjit Singh Pamma (UK), Mann Singh (UK), Deep Kaur (Malaysia) to carry out various types of violent acts to give wide publicity to the ongoing ISI funded and sponsored secessionist campaign for the “liberation of Punjab” from the Indian government.
They also disclosed that they were lured into the campaign over social media after being contacted and motivated (including by Gurpatwant Pannun himself) on various social media platforms (such as Telegram and WhatsApp) by their above-mentioned foreign based handlers. They were asked to spray-paint so-called Referendum 2020 slogans and to put liquor vends and government properties on fire during the “Ghallughara” week (June 2018).
SFJ operatives based in the US have also been involved in the assault of moderate Sikh political leaders visiting the US. In August 2018, SFJ operatives attacked Manjit Singh GK, President, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, in front of Yuba City Gurudwara.
One Sabi Singh of California, SFJ operative and Jasbir Singh Delhi were arrested by the US police in connection with this assault on Manjit Singh GK.
SFJ had also exhorted Punjab police personnel to rebel against the Punjab government and not to obey the orders of the Chief Minister of Punjab, and also desert the Punjab police, which was taking effective and lawful action against criminal elements operating in Punjab, often with active support from across the border. SFJ has also threatened former Punjab Chief Minister, Punjab Jails Minister and senior police officers of Punjab, including former and serving DGPs, on alleged charges of torture of SFJ operatives who had been brought to justice and booked as per law for commission of violent acts in Punjab in 2018 and 2019.
SFJ also targeted soldiers from the Sikh community working in the Indian Army through a dedicated social media campaign, and tried to instigate them to desert the Army and work for promotion of the so-called Referendum 2020 instead. They exhorted these soldiers not to fight for India or shed blood for India but to fight for independence of Punjab from India.
SFJ made false claims that the Indian Army had killed 10,000 Sikhs in June 1984 and 250,000 Sikhs from 1984-1994.
In April 2019, SFJ asked the soldiers from the Sikh community working in the Indian Army and in the Punjab police to attend the so-called Referendum 2020 Rally in Washington D.C on 6 June, 2019. SFJ offered free sponsorship letters for US visas to these soldiers and police personnel.
SFJ handlers based abroad have also been involved in the burning of the Indian Flag, and have also tried to instigate the youth of Punjab to indulge in similar acts. Avtar Singh Pannun, Sabi Singh Rana Singh, Major Singh Nijjer, Sukhwinder Singh Thana, Irvinjit Singh Sahota, Kulvinder Singh Sandhu @ Tezy, Gurpreet Singh Baagi and Ravinder Singh Sohal have come to notice for uploading videos after burning the Indian Flag in various countries, causing disaffection against India. In January 2019, SFJ operatives burnt the Indian Flag intended to vitiate India’s Republic Day celebration at various places, especially in London and Washington D.C. Paramjit Singh Pamma and Dupinderjit Singh were seen leading the group in London while Avtar Singh Pannun burned the Indian Flag in Washington D.C. In May 2019, SFJ urged the Sikh community in Punjab to boycott the general elections 2019 and vote instead for an independent Punjab in the so-called Referendum 2020 in November 2020. They claimed that only an independent Punjab could solve the problems of Punjab, such as unemployment and farmer’s suicides.
UK based SFJ operatives, especially Paramjit Singh Pamma, who is wanted for involvement in crimes in India, was seen in the India vs England World Cup cricket match at Edgbaston (Birmingham) on 30 June 2019. Pamma and his associates were seen wearing T-shirts of so-called Referendum 2020 and waving the Khalistani Flag at the cricket match. SFJ also shared a poster on social media urging pro-Khalistani Sikhs to boo the Indian team during the semi-final match against New Zealand on 9 July 2019 while alleging that Team India represented the face of Indian terrorism.
On the occasion of Gurpurab celebrations in Nankana Sahib in November 2018, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun made public a letter declaring that the SFJ would open the so-called Referendum 2020 Information Centre in Lahore. He also claimed that hundreds of Referendum campaigners from North America, Europe and UK had reached Pakistan to coordinate the Referendum 2020 campaign in Nankana Sahib during the 549th birth anniversary celebrations of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. He also stated that the so-called Referendum 2020 banners and Khalistan flags with the life size portrait of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale had been placed throughout the Nankana Sahib Complex.
Pannun thus made it clear that the so-called Referendum 2020 campaign had the active support of the Pakistan establishment and the ISI.
During the interrogation of the SFJ operatives, it was revealed that they had planned to assassinate the family members of Parkash Singh Badal, ex-Chief Minister of Punjab, on the pretext that the government in the state of Punjab led by his family was quelling protests against the alleged news of desecration of Gurugranth Sahib. However, the plan was foiled at the last moment.