NIA books SFJ chief Gurpatwant Pannun over threat video to Air India
PTC News Desk: NIA said on Monday that a case has been filed against designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun for threatening people flying on Air India and the airline with a November 19 shutdown.
The case was filed under the Indian Penal Code as well as the strict Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Pannun had asked Sikhs to avoid flying on Air India planes on and after November 19, citing a potential threat to their lives in video messages released on November 4.
Pannun, the self-proclaimed general counsel of the outlawed "unlawful association" Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), distributed the video messages through various social media platforms. Following this, a high alert was issued, and security forces in Canada, India, and certain other countries where Air India flies launched investigations.
Pannun has been under the NIA's scrutiny since 2019 when the agency filed its first case against him. The NIA had confiscated his share of a house and land in Amritsar, Punjab, and Chandigarh in September.
A NIA Special Court issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Pannun on February 3, 2021, and he was declared a "Proclaimed Offender" on November 29, last year.
- With inputs from agencies
