NIA raids 14 places in Punjab, Haryana over SFJ links
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is conducting raids on the properties of individuals linked to the banned Khalistani group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and its chief, designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Fourteen houses were raided by the central agency on Wednesday. They include those located in Punjab's Khanna and Moga. In Haryana, properties located in Yamuna Nagar and Kurukshetra were searched.
Why does this story matter?
Khalistani separatism, particularly in Canada, has seen a resurgence in recent times. SFJ, founded by Pannun in 2009, began holding a referendum in 2021 for the secession of a separate Sikh state. Pannun was designated a terrorist by the Indian government on July 1, 2020. The NIA first registered a case against Pannun in 2019, and he has been under scrutiny since then.
Raids in coordination with state police
Per ANI, the raids are being conducted by the NIA with coordination from Punjab and Haryana police and are based on specific inputs. It comes two days after the NIA announced that it would register a case against Pannun over his video threatening Air India Airlines. The Khalistani leader had cautioned that the lives of people on Air India flights could be at risk.
NIA raids in Punjab and Haryana
NIA books Pannun under UAPA
Earlier this week, the NIA registered a case against Pannun over his video threatening a global blockade of Air India airlines. The SFJ chief was booked under IPC sections 120B, 153A, and 506 and several other sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967. The NIA had earlier confiscated his house and land in Amritsar and Chandigarh (UT).
Previous NIA raids against Khalistan-gangster nexus
In late September, the NIA also conducted extensive raids at 50 locations in six states, targeting hawala operators and logistic coordinators of gangsters linked to the Khalistanis. The country's prime counter-terror task force raided 30 locations in Punjab, 13 in Rajasthan, four in Haryana, two in Uttarakhand, and one each in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. The operations came as India-Canada relations hit rock bottom.
India resumes e-visa services for Canada
Meanwhile, India resumed e-visa services for Canadians after a two-month pause on Wednesday, NDTV reported. This comes after the Indian government resumed visa services for entry, business, medical, and conferences in October but kept e-visas suspended. Visa services were suspended in September amid the diplomatic row over Canada's claims that Indian government agents were behind the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
