Ahmedabad police book Khalistani ‘terrorist’ Pannun

Ahmedabad police lodge FIR against SFJ chief Pannun for threatening to turn cricket World Cup into 'World Terror Cup'. Complaint based on pre-recorded voice message sent from foreign number. Charges include waging war against India, imputations prejudicial to national integration, cyberterrorism and terrorist act. Pannun designated terrorist, trying to spread fear, create enmity and indulge in terror activities.

The cybercrime branch of the Ahmedabad police on September 29 lodged an FIR against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief of banned outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), for threatening to turn the cricket World Cup, starting on October 5 at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad, into “World Terror Cup.” 

The police said the complaint was based on a thread message via a pre-recorded voice message sent from a foreign number to several Indian nationals. 

Sub-inspector H.N. Prajapati has lodged the FIR under Sections 121 (A) (conspiring to wage war against the Government of India), 153 (A), 153 B(1) (C) (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 501 (1) (B) (printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC; Section 66 (F) (cyberterrorism) of the IT Act; and Section 161 (B) (terrorist act) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

According to the complaint, the police came to know about the pre-recorded audio message received by several people from the phone number +447418343648. 

Many recipients of the threat message reported it to the police through various mediums. 

“The pre-recorded message, which plays after the mobile phone user picks up the call, said October 5 would not be the start of the Cricket World Cup but the beginning of “World Terror Cup’. Sikhs for Justice is going to storm Ahmedabad with Khalistani flags,” said Jitu Yadav, Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime. 

As per the FIR, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is designated as a terrorist by the Government of India and is running an organisation called Sikhs for Justice from a foreign country. Pannun is trying to spread fear, create enmity between Sikhs and other communities and indulge in terror activities in the country, and earlier too he had indulged in such nefarious activities, especially on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.