Who Is Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, The Dreaded Khalistani Terrorist Who Is Rumoured To Have Died In US?

Gurpatwant Singh Pannu`s outfit SFJ is known for its strong advocacy of Khalistan, a separate homeland for the Sikh community.

NEW DELHI: Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the founder of the pro-Khalistan outfit 'Sikhs For Justice', has been trending high on social media amid rumours of his death in a road accident in the United States. He is rumoured to have died in a fatal road accident on Highway number 101 in the United States. The rumours about Pannun’s death started circulating days after the death of three dreaded Khalistani terrorists - Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Paramjit Singh Panjwar and Avtar Singh Khanda.

Among those Pro-Khalistani leaders who died recently, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was reportedly shot dead in Canada on June 19. The incident took place in Surrey, Canada. Nijjar's killing came almost a week after the death of Avtar Singh Khanda, the face of violent protests at the Indian High Commission in London. 

Avtar Singh Khanda, who was suffering from blood cancer, died in Birmingham, England on June 15. Khanda was Chief of Khalistan Liberation Force and involved in anti-India terror activities including attacking the Indian High Commission in London in March 2023.

Other Pro-Khalistan sympathisers like Harvinder Rinda, Paramjit Panjwar, Bashir Ahmad Peer and Syed Khalid Raza were gunned down in Pakistan recently.

Although there are strong rumours about Gurpatwant Singh Pannun’s death, the same has been strongly refuted by Sukhi Chahal, founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Khalsa Today, which is based in the US. Chahal has claimed that the SFJ chief is indeed “alive".

“Regarding news about the alleged car accident in my neighbourhood in California and the death of SFJ’s Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, I would like to emphasise that the information is fake and false. I kindly urge everyone to refrain from spreading his misinformation," Chahal tweeted.

Meanwhile, a video of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun standing outside the UN Headquarters in New York also surfaced on Twitter which shows the SFJ chief saying that one-day Khalistani flag will be put up at the consulate.

Who Is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun?

The 'Sikhs For Justice' founder was officially designated as a “terrorist” by the Government Of India on July 1, 2020, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Pannun, who spearheaded the Khalistan 2020 referendum across multiple Western nations, was among those raised who their voices rigorously demanding a separate homeland for Sikhs by establishing an ethno-religious sovereign state called Khalistan. 

According to the Government of India, Pannun was deeply involved in anti-India activities and campaigned against the country in various foreign locations. He was also actively involved in the recruitment of Sikh children from his home state of Punjab to partake in his terrorist activities.

His outfit SFJ is known for its advocacy of Khalistan, a distinct nation sought by the Sikh community. Pannu was also reportedly wanted in 22 criminal cases, including three sedition charges in India. Pannu, who till now was residing in the United States, hails from Punjab’s Khankot village.