The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered a new FIR against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a designated ‘individual terrorist,’ under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Pannun is accused of offering a reward of Rs 11 crore to anyone preventing Prime Minister Narendra Modi from hoisting the national flag this Independence Day, PTI reported.
Pannun, founder of the banned outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), made the announcement from Washington, DC, during a virtual “press meet” organised at the Lahore Press Club in Pakistan on August 10. This marks the seventh FIR filed by the NIA against him.
NIA Books Gurpatwant Singh Pannun
The FIR, registered on August 19 following instructions from the Union Home Ministry, cites video and information retrieved from the @SFJ_US_Official channel on X (formerly Twitter). It states, “On 10th August 2025, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, General Counsel of the Unlawful Association, Sikh for Justice (SFJ), declared a reward to prevent the Prime Minister of India from hoisting the tricolour at Red Fort, New Delhi on 15th August, 2025.”
The FIR further alleges, “He has unveiled a map of new Khalistan, which includes Punjab, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. He has declared that SFJ has formed a Shaheed Jatha to fight against India,” the FIR alleged.
The latest FIR, made public on Tuesday, was lodged last month after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) alerted the NIA about credible information regarding Pannun’s virtual press conference. The MHA also informed the NIA that during the meeting, Pannun presented SFJ’s new “Delhi Banayga Khalistan” Referendum Map, which incorporates Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi into the envisioned Khalistan.
According to the FIR, the NIA said that Pannun had “indulged in activities for disrupting sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of India and spreading disaffection among Sikhs against India.” The agency added that the Union government considered a scheduled offence under the NIA Act had been committed and warranted investigation.
Based on the MHA’s disclosure, the NIA booked Pannun and unknown associates under Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (criminal conspiracy) and relevant provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Who is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun?
Pannun first made headlines last year after allegations surfaced in the United States involving a former Indian official in a plot to assassinate him on American soil. Indian national Nikhil Gupta is currently in a US prison on charges of murder-for-hire, with former R&AW officer Vikas Yadav as a co-accused.
This is the seventh FIR filed by the NIA against Pannun and SFJ. The last case was registered in November 2023 when Pannun issued threats against Air India and claimed he would take over Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Pannun, a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, was declared an individual terrorist by the Indian government under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in 2020. Records from state police and the NIA show that 96 cases have been registered against him and SFJ. These cases include offences ranging from threats to blow up Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad during the ODI World Cup to voice notes sent to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh warning of plans to target Parliament and the Red Fort.