LONDON/ SAN FRANCISCO: On the heels of a high-profile visit by a senior director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to India, pro-Khalistan/ Sikh activists held a huge march on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco chanting slogans: “FBI, FBI – You Are Right – Modi Is Behind Murder Plots”.
Over 1,000 vehicles carrying Khalistan flags and “Wanted” banners with pictures of “Modi-Jaishankar-Sandhu” blocked Interstate I-80 to Highway 101 leading to the bridge, in one of the largest such demonstrations.
The Sikhs said they gathered to support a US and Canadian investigation into an Indian assassination plot against pro-Chalistan Sikhs. The rally was organized by Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), which is leading the Khalistan Referendum campaign.
Referring to the US phase of the Khalistan Referendum, which will begin on January 28, 2024 in San Francisco, SFJ General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said: “Undaunted by the impending assassination attempts, Sikh sovereigns will continue their campaign to liberate Punjab from Indian occupation through a referendum.”
“Modi cannot hide behind sovereign immunity forever. We will get him arrested, prosecuted and convicted under international law for his crimes against pro-Khalistan Sikhs, Kashmiri Muslims and Christians in Manipur.”
SFJ founder and Khalistan Referendum spokesman Pannun said the allegations of assassination of Nikhil Gupta and other Indian civil servants by US authorities are allegations against Narendra Modi.
“Modi is directly involved in planning my murder,” the pro-Khalistan leader said after the US released a bombshell indictment of Indian agents and officials directly accusing them of conspiring to kill Pannun for his activism for the creation of Khalistan.
Pannun said: “Indian Hindu Nikhil Gupta has been charged with attempted assassination, but it is actually an indictment against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a known human rights abuser who has a track record of using violence to suppress criticism and political dissent.” opinion.”
On November 29, the US announced the filing of murder-for-hire charges against Gupta, an Indian national, in connection with his involvement in a foiled plot to assassinate Pannun.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said, “The defendant is alleged to have conspired from India to assassinate an American citizen of Indian origin (Pannun) right here in New York who was publicly advocating the establishment of a sovereign state for the Sikhs, an ethno-religious minority group in India.” I am grateful that my office and our law enforcement partners neutralized this deadly and outrageous threat. We will not tolerate attempts to assassinate American citizens on American soil, and we will stand ready to investigate, thwart, and prosecute anyone who seeks to harm and silence Americans at home or abroad.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G Olsen said: “Dedicated agents and prosecutors in this case foiled and uncovered a dangerous plot to assassinate a US citizen on US soil. The Department of Justice will relentlessly use the full reach of our authorities to hold accountable deadly conspiracies originating overseas.
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said, “When a foreign government employee allegedly committed the brazen act of hiring an international narcotics trafficker to assassinate a US citizen on American soil, the DEA was there to stop the plot.
“I want to acknowledge the outstanding work of the DEA’s New York Field Division for their leadership of this investigation, the team of prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan for prosecuting today’s indictment, and our federal and global law enforcement partners for their assistance.”
