CHANDIGARH: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday confiscated the immovable property of Canada-based hate merchant Gurpatwant Singh Pannu in Chandigarh and Amritsar.
Pannu, the controller of the banned Sikh For Justice (SFJ) and a Khalistani proponent, was designated a terrorist by the Union home ministry under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in 2020.
The SFJ had in a recent hate video threatened Hindus, asking them to vacate Canada. Days later, Canadian ministers and top federal public safety officials denounced the video but did not name SFJ in their statement.
“The circulation of an online hate video targeting Hindu Canadians runs contrary to the values we hold dear as Canadians,’’ said public safety minister Dominic LeBlanc.
In New York, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was deeply concerned about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations against India on the killing of a Khalistani separatist in Canada, adding Washington was closely coordinating with Ottawa and wants accountability.
Back in India, the NIA action came after a special court issued confiscation orders. Pannu has been on NIA’s radar since 2019, when it registered its first case against him. Non-bailable arrest warrants were issued against him on February 3, 2021. His confiscated property include 46 kanal farm land in Khankot village of Amritsar and 1/4th share of a house in Chandigarh.