Sikh group offers $500K bounty for Indian diplomat

A Pro-Khalistan leader has said he will “track” India’s high commissioner after New Delhi and Ottawa expelled each others’ diplomats

Sikhs for Justice, a secessionist group banned in India, has announced a hefty reward for Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma amid an escalating diplomatic row between New Delhi and Ottawa. According to the Canadian government, Indian officials have been involved in criminal activities on Canadian soil, including last year’s killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India and Canada on Monday announced they were expelling each other’s diplomats following statements by Canadian police linking Indian officials to criminal activities on Canadian soil. In a strongly-worded statement, New Delhi rejected Canada’s allegations and said it would withdraw its diplomatic staff as it has “no faith” in Ottawa’s commitments to ensure their security. 

Later on Monday, Sikhs for Justice head Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a prominent pro-Khalistan leader, posted a statement on X warning that the group has allocated “a hefty budget of $500,000” so that even after Verma’s departure from Canada “it will continue tacking his movements and whereabouts in pursuit of bringing him to justice” for his alleged role in the killing of Nijjar. The group also claimed it had been “writing” to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to “investigate and expel” the high commissioner – equivalent to an ambassador. In its statement, the group also praised Trudeau for his “unwavering commitment” to delivering “justice.”

Sikhs For Justice Announces To Track Expelled Indian High Commissioner In Pursuit of Justice

Allocates $500,000 Budget For Tracking Sanjay Verma

Now We Expect Canadian Govt To Also Investigate Modi's Mouthpiece MP Chandra Arya For Paddling Disinformation & Hate Speech Against… pic.twitter.com/kTVdAEWerj

— Gurpatwant Singh Pannun (@SFJGenCounsel) October 14, 2024

Pannun holds US and Canadian citizenship and was designated a “terrorist” by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs in 2020 for “challenging the sovereignty, integrity and security” of the country and advocating a separate state for Sikhs called Khalistan.

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He also figures in a US investigation of India’s alleged hand in an unsuccessful murder plot.  A US court indictment suggested that an Indian government official had attempted to orchestrate Pannun’s assassination in New York last year. Pannun’s case has been linked to Nijjar’s killing as both the US and Canada are part of the Five Eyes intelligence grouping that also includes the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday stated that the Five Eyes played a key role in collecting evidence against India. New Delhi, however, claimed that Ottawa “has not [a] shred of evidence” to show despite many requests. 

Meanwhile, Pannun has frequently made threats against Indian officials, diplomats, and ordinary citizens. Last week, he threatened to initiate independence movements in Indian states in border areas, including Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland. In November last year, he made threats to passengers of an Air India flight. An Air India plane has previously been targeted by Sikh militants in 1985 – they were accused of planting a bomb in the aircraft flying from Canada to India, which killed all 329 people aboard. 

READ MORE: US-based Sikh activist renews threats to India – media

New Delhi has repeatedly shared its concerns with the governments of the US and Canada regarding attacks on Indian missions and Hindu temples in both countries, allegedly carried out by Khalistan sympathizers.