After rumours of his death spread far and wide on Wednesday (July 5), Sikh For Justice (SFJ) founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannu confirmed a TV journalist that he is alive and living in New York. The news was shared by journalist Aditya Raj Kaul, who claimed that he received a message from the designated Khalistani terrorist, Gurpatwant Singh Pannu.
Parvasi Media, a news portal dedicated to South Asian news affairs based in Canada, also released a video and said that false news of Pannu's death in an accident was reported by various news portals on Wednesday.
Reports of Pannu's death in an accident in the US refuted
On Wednesday evening, there were unconfirmed reports and videos shared by netizens on Twitter who claimed that SFJ founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannu had died in a road accident in the US. The news was also flashed by some news channels and carried by news portals. Still, there was no confirmation or final word on Pannu's death. However, multiple people on Thursday (July 6) took to social media to refute claims of Pannu's death.
Khalistani sympathisers found dead in recent days set off speculations
The sudden and mysterious deaths of three Khalistani sympathisers in last two months in Canada had led to speculations on Pannu's death on social media. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani sympathiser, was shot dead in Vancouver, Canada on June 19. Before Nijjar, another Khalistani supporter Paramjit Singh Panjwar was shot dead in Lahore, Pakistan in May this year. Khalistan Liberation Force's Avtar Singh Khanda, a self-proclaimed Khalistani leader, died in Birmingham, UK on June 15.
SFJ, a terror outfit
Sikh For Justice is backed by Pakistan's notorious intelligence wing Inter State Services (ISI) which has been trying to revive militancy in India, including creation of Khalistan. It has been banned by the Indian government for involvement in terror-related activities under Unlawful Activity Prevention Act (UAPA) .
