Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Sept 23: The NIA on Saturday confiscated a house and land belonging to the self-described general counsel of the outlawed Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) organization in Punjab’s Amritsar and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, tightening its noose around Canada-based “designated individual terrorist” Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, an official said.
According to a National Investigation Agency (NIA) spokesperson, the action came as a result of confiscation orders issued by the Special NIA Court, SAS Nagar, Mohali (Punjab), and is a significant boost to the nation’s campaign against the terror and secessionist network that is being run from several nations, including Canada.
The official stated that one-fourth share of a house in Chandigarh’s sector 15/C area and a 46-kanal (5.7 acres) plot of agricultural property in Khankot village in Amritsar are among the confiscated properties.
Pannu has been under the scrutiny of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) since 2019, when the federal anti-terrorism agency initiated its initial case against the individual. This person has significantly contributed to advancing and orchestrating acts of terrorism and associated activities, as well as sowing terror and panic in Punjab and other regions of the country through the use of threatening and coercive methods.
On February 3, 2021, the Special NIA Court issued non-bailable warrants of arrest for Pannu, and on November 29 of the previous year, he was labelled as a “Proclaimed Offender” (PO).
“Investigations have revealed that Pannu’s organisation, Sikhs for Justice, was misusing cyberspace to radicalise gullible youth and instigate them to undertake terrorist crimes and activities,” the NIA spokesperson said.
“Pannu, who was declared a ‘designated individual terrorist’ on July 1, 2020, has been actively exhorting Punjab-based gangsters and youth over the social media to fight for the cause of the independent state of Khalistan, challenging the sovereignty, integrity and security of the country,” the spokesperson said.
“He had also threatened Canadian Hindus a few days ago, asking them to leave Canada and claiming that they had adopted a ‘jingoistic approach’ by siding with India,” he added.
