The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a new case against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US-based Khalistani terrorist, for allegedly offering a reward to prevent Prime Minister Narendra Modi from hoisting the national flag on Independence Day. Pannun is also accused of "spreading disaffection among Sikhs against India".

According to the NIA's FIR, Pannun, who is the general counsel for the banned "Sikhs For Justice" (SFJ) outfit, made the announcement during a "Meet the Press" event at the Lahore Press Club in Pakistan on August 10. In a video address from Washington, he declared a reward of Rs 11 crore to "Sikh soldiers" who would stop Modi from unfurling the tricolor at the Red Fort in Delhi. The FIR also notes that at the event, Pannun unveiled a map for a new Khalistan, which he said would include Punjab, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, and claimed that the SFJ had formed a "Shaheed Jatha" to fight against India.

The FIR states that Pannun has indulged in activities for disrupting the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of India and spreading disaffection among Sikhs against India. The NIA cited credible information and a video retrieved from the SFJ's channel on X, which showed Pannun announcing the reward to prevent Modi from hoisting the tricolor at the Red Fort on August 15.

The case was registered following a directive from the Union home ministry. The ministry stated that Pannun, a designated terrorist and general counsel of the SFJ, hosted a "Meet the Press" event at the Lahore Press Club on August 10, where he addressed journalists through a video link from Washington, "primarily focusing on the rejection of India's sovereignty over Punjab and the promotion of Khalistan". In his address, Pannun offered Rs 11 crore to the "Sikh soldiers" who would stop Modi from hoisting the tricolor at the Red Fort on August 15.

The FIR, filed under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), has named "Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and other unknown persons".

Pannun, a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, was declared an individual terrorist by the government of India under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, in 2020. According to records from the state police forces and the NIA, Pannun had 96 cases registered against him and his outfit, SFJ. These cases were lodged over threats issued by him, ranging from blowing up the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad during the ODI World Cup to a voice note received at the residence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh warning about bids to bomb Parliament and Red Fort etc attributed to Pannun.

This is the seventh such case against Pannun and his outfit by the NIA. The last case by the NIA was registered in November 2023, when Pannun had issued threats against Air India and threatened to take over Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport.

Pannun came to the limelight last year after the US alleged the involvement of a former Indian official in a plot to kill him on American soil. Indian national Nikhil Gupta is currently lodged in a US prison on charges of murder-for-hire in the alleged assassination plot. Former R&AW officer Vikas Yadav is a co-accused.