SJF’s Pannun Announces $100,000 Reward for Citizen’s Arrest of Indian High Commissioner to Canada – News18

Founder of the outlawed Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has made yet another provocative statement against Indian diplomats in Canada, offering cash reward for a “citizen’s arrest” of Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma.

Announcing the ‘reward’, the radical Khalistani separatist accused Verma of “maliciously” raising the bogey of a terror threat to Air India.

Pannun had recently released a video threatening passengers of Air India flights on November 19, the day the ICC World Cup final takes place in Ahmedabad. The Canadian government and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police earlier confirmed they are investigating a possible terror threat.

Pannun has accused Verma of falsely raising the bogey of terror threat to Air India to “divert attention” from the investigation into the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

“With the aim to derail Canada’s investigation in the Indian High Commission’s role in the assassination of Nijjar, Verma is spreading false propaganda equating ‘Boycott Air India’ with ‘terror threat’ and subjecting the Canadian Sikhs to hate mongering,” he said.

“Under Section 139 of the Criminal Code of Canada, the malicious campaign run by Verma constitutes an act of ‘Perverting the Course of Justice’ which is an indictable crime under the Canadian law,” he added.

The “Citizen’s Arrest and Self-Defence Act” codified in Section 494 (1) of Criminal Code of Canada provides that:

(1) Any one may arrest without warrant;

(a) a person whom he finds committing an indictable offence; or

(b) a person who, on reasonable grounds, he believes

(i) has committed a criminal offence, and

(ii) is escaping from and freshly pursued by persons who have lawful authority to arrest that person.

Diplomatic relations between Canada and India have been fraught since Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September over the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June in the Canadian town of Surrey.

Days after Trudeau’s allegations, India announced temporarily suspending the issuance of visas to Canadian citizens and asked Ottawa to downsize its diplomatic presence in the country to ensure parity. India has since resumed the issuance of four types of visas for Canadians. Canada has already withdrawn 41 diplomats and their family members from India.

Pannun’s announcement comes a day after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau underlined that a “fight” with India was not something Ottawa wanted.

“From the very beginning when we learned of credible allegations that agents of the Indian government were involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil, we reached out to India to ask them to work with us in getting to the bottom of this matter,” he said while addressing the media.

“We will continue to work with all partners as law enforcement and investigative agencies continue to do their work. Canada is a country that will always stand up for the rule of law because if might starts to make right again, if bigger countries can violate international law without consequences, then the whole world gets more dangerous for everyone,” he added.