Khalistan leader Pannun threatens attacks on Hindu temples, including Ayodhya

Pro-Khalistan separatist leader and lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has threatened to attack Hindu temples including the Ayondhya Ram Mandir on 16 and 17 November, according to an India Today report published today.

In a video message released by the US-based group Sikhs for Justice, of which Pannun is the founder, he reportedly said: “We will shake the foundations of Ayodhya, birthplace of the violent Hindutva ideology.”

The video also showed images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi praying at the temple during its inauguration in January, the India Today report states.

Sikhs for Justice is designated as a terrorist organisation in India under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act). In the past, Pannun has issued similar threats against various establishments in India but apparently not followed through on any.

Pannun’s threat video follows on the heels of protests by pro-Khalistan groups during the Indian High Commission’s routine consular camp organised in partnership with the Hindu Sabha Temple in Canada’s Brampton on 3 November.

Videos of the incident circulating on social media purportedly show protestors attacking temple visitors with sticks. As tensions rose, the attackers were apparently met with counter-protests from a group holding Indian flags.

Amidst a sharp downward spiral in India-Canada ties in recent times, there have been incidents of Hindu temples being vandalised or defaced in Canada, though no incidents of devotees actually being attacked has been recorded so far.

Tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa spiked after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged the involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of another Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, near Vancouver in June 2023. Nijjar was head of the Khalistan Tiger Force, also designated as a terrorist outfit in India.

In October, the United States also charged a former Indian government official with allegedly orchestrating a plot to murder Pannun in New York, while Canada explicitly stated that Union home minister Amit Shah was involved in the Nijjar killing.