Sikhs for Justice

Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) is a US-based secessionist group that supports the secession of Punjab from India as Khalistan. Founded and primarily headed by lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, it has numerous other active members. It was banned by India in 2019 as an unlawful association after consultation with major representatives bodies of the Sikh community, which was followed by mass appreciation of the ban by the Punjab Government.[1] As of 2019 it campaigns for a Punjab independence referendum to carve out a separate Khalistan as a part of its separatist agenda.[2][3]

Sikhs for Justice
AbbreviationSFJ
FormationOctober 2007 (2007-10)
FounderGurpatwant Singh Pannun
Founded atUnited States
TypeNGO
Legal statusBanned in India
PurposeSecession of Punjab from India as Khalistan
HeadquartersNew York, United States
Official languages
Punjabi, English
Legal advisor
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun
International policy director
Jatinder Singh Grewal
Websitesikhsforjustice.org

History

In 2011, Sikhs For Justice took Kamal Nath and a few leaders of Indian National Congress to the US court for their role in 1984 anti-Sikh riots,[4][5] however, the court dismissed the case, saying that the case does not sufficiently "touch and concern" the US.[6] In September 2013, the group filed an amended class action complaint against Sonia Gandhi for protecting members of her party who were involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, but in June 2014, the case was dismissed due to lack of subject matter jurisdiction and failure to state a claim.[7] SFJ were going to subpoena Rahul Gandhi as he stated 'some Congressmen were probably involved in 1984 anti-Sikh riots and they have been punished for it.[8]

In February 2014, the group filed human rights violation case against then 13th Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh for his role as finance minister of India in 1990s accusing him of "funding crimes against humanity perpetrated upon the Sikh community in India".[9] They also submitted a report to United Nations Commission on Human Rights on 1984 anti-Sikh riots.[10]

Referendum campaign in Punjab

SFJ started organizing a campaign for 'Referendum 2020' for secession of Punjab state from India.[11] Gurpatwant Singh Panun announced in November 2018 that the SFJ will establish a permanent office in Lahore for facilitating the registration of voters and giving information to Sikhs about it. He also stated that banners regarding the referendum and images of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale had been posted around Nankana Sahib.[12] The group also has at times expressed support for a greater Khalistan whose territory straddles parts of Punjab province of Pakistan and has invited non-Sikhs to register for voting.[13]

Sukhpal Singh Khaira, MLA of Punjab Legislative Assembly and the Leader of Opposition at the time, said, "Sikh Referendum 2020 was a result of consistent policy of bias, discrimination and persecution towards the Sikhs by successive governments in India”, though he clarified that he did not support the referendum. Chief Minister of Punjab Amarinder Singh rebuked him.[14] The Shiromani Akali Dal and the Bhartiya Janata Party also criticized Khaira for his statement, with former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal asking the AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal to act against the Punjab LoP.[15]

The Sikh delegation in the United States of America also met the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit in September 2019, to highlight their support of India as one country.[16]

Agenda behind Kartarpur Corridor

Kartarpur Corridor, India's initiative for its Sikh and Punjabi population to help them visit one of the most relevant places in Sikh history, was also used by SIkhs for Justice for promoting the secessionist campaign 'Referendum 2020'. The campaign is backed by Pakistan also, which is a close ally of Khalistanis. The pilgrims using Kartarpur Corridor were urged to attend workshops and seminars in Kartarpur on Referendum 2020, arranged by Sikhs for Justice.[17][18][19][20]

Criminal accusations

As of July 2019, there were 12 criminal cases that were being pursued by Indian agencies namely National Investigation Agency, Punjab Police and Uttarakhand Police who have also arrested 39 people associated with the SFJ in India.[2] In lieu of the activities by SFJ, a red corner notice has also been issued by INTERPOL in October 2019,[21] against Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, and other Khalistani terrorists.[22][23] According to Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh, SFJ "had unleashed a wave of terror in Punjab in recent years" and deserved to be called a terrorist organisation. He welcomed the decision to ban the SFJ as a step towards protecting India from secessionist and anti-Indian plans of the organisation he described as backed by Pakistan's ISI.[2] Later in January 2020, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) tribunal chaired by Delhi High Court Chief Justice DN Patel sustained the decision of ban on the secessionist group. Citing the evidences presented, as the reason for the decision, the committee said that since the activities of the group were "unlawful", "disruptive" and "threaten the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of India" and SFJ was "working in collusion with anti-India entities and forces", therefore, "the Central Government had sufficient cause to take action under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for declaring Sikhs For Justice as an unlawful association."[24]

A member of the group was arrested in Malaysia alongside 16 other suspects, including ISIS members, for planning to kill local political leaders in September 2019.[25] Also, out of the four terrorists arrested in Tarn Taran blast case in Punjab, one revealed that they were tasked to kill the leaders of various Deras in India by Sikhs for Justice.[26] Furthermore, the Kartarpur Corridor that has been opened up for Sikhs, is reportedly being used for Khalistani propaganda by SFJ.[27] The Haryana Police in July 2020 registered a first information report against Pannun for encouraging terrorism, promoting secessionism through automated phone calls and accusing people of Haryana of being against the interests of Punjabis as well as the Sikhs.[28] Meanwhile in Punjab state, Pannun is booked for alleged links with terror modules. Another member Paramjit Singh Pamma also faces a murder charge.[29]

The National Investigation Agency booked 16 members of the group on December 9, 2020 for promoting secessionism using the "Referendum 2020" campaign and accused it of being a political front for Khalistani militant groups based outside India, encouraging Sikh soldiers in the Indian Army to rebel and encouraging secessionism in Kashmir.[30]

Banned in India

Sikhs for Justice was banned on July 10, 2019 by Government of India under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for anti-India activities on July 10, 2019.[31] The group planned to use Google Play for spreading its propaganda, and an application was uploaded on it for people to register for Referendum 2020. The application was reported, and thereafter removed by Google Play Store in November 2019.[32][33] Its Facebook page had already been blocked from India by the company in 2015.[34]

On July 1, 2020, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun was declared as an "individual terrorist" under the UAPA for promoting secessionism and allegedly encouraging Punjabi Sikh youth to take up arms.[35] The central government via an order of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology[36] on the recommendation of the Ministry of Home Affairs on July 5, banned 40 websites belonging to the group for attracting people to its cause.[37]

References
  1. hermes (July 27, 2019). "Separatist Sikh group draws more scrutiny". The Straits Times. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  2. Sen, Sudhi Ranjan (July 10, 2019). "Government bans US-based pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice". Hindustan Times. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  3. Kalvapalle, Rahul (October 3, 2018). "Sikh group plans to hold Khalistan referendum polling in Canadian cities in 2020". Global News. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  4. "Sikhs for Justice v. Nath, 893 F. Supp. 2d 598 | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  5. "US court summons Congress for Sikh 'genocide' in 1984". The Economic Times. March 3, 2011. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  6. "US court dismisses 1984 rights violation case against Congress". The Economic Times. December 20, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  7. Singh, Yoshita (June 11, 2014). "1984 riots case: US court dismisses lawsuit against Sonia Gandhi". Livemint. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  8. "Sikh rights group to subpoena Rahul Gandhi before US Court". The Economic Times. January 30, 2014. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  9. IANS (March 1, 2014). "US court permits Sikh group to summon Manmohan Singh". Business Standard India. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  10. "1984 riots: Sikhs protest outside United Nations headquarters demanding justice". The Economic Times. November 8, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  11. "Amid Protests In India, Separatists to Hold Punjab Referendum 2020 Rally in UK Today". News18. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  12. "Pak allows SFJ to open 'Referendum 2020' office in Lahore". Times of India. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  13. "Khalistani outfit SFJ wants Greater Khalistan with headquarters in Pakistan's Lahore". India Today. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  14. "Referendum 2020 reverberates in Punjab politics". SBS Your Language. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  15. "Referendum 2020 reverberates in Punjab politics". SBS Your Language. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  16. Rajghatta, Chidanand (September 22, 2019). "Modi in Houston: PM Modi meets minorities in Houston to showcase India's diversity and complexity | World News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  17. Chaudhury, Dipanjan Roy (August 9, 2018). "Website of Sikhs for justice has links with Pakistan". The Economic Times. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  18. Dec 1, PTI | Updated; 2019; Ist, 18:22. "Pak minister's disclosure on Kartarpur Corridor has exposed their nefarious designs: Amarinder Singh | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved December 20, 2019.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. SINGH/IANS, RAJNISH. "U.S.-Based Sikhs For Justice, Banned by India, Has Pakistani Links". India West. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  20. "India won't let ISI-backed SFJ disturb its stability: Captain Amarinder Singh - Kashmir Times". www.kashmirtimes.com. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  21. "India for Interpol notice against 3 Khalistan ultras". Tribuneindia. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  22. "India Today". www.zengatv.com. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  23. Mir, Zubaida (November 20, 2019). "What does the red corner notice issued against Khalistani Gurpatwant Singh Pannu mean?". Medium. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  24. PTI (January 9, 2020). "UAPA Tribunal upholds ban on pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice". India Today. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  25. "Sikh Woman Among 16 Terror Suspects Arrested By Malaysian Police". NDTV.com. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  26. Sehgal, Manjeet (September 23, 2019). "Punjab: Four Khalistan Zindabad Force terrorists arrested in Taran Taran". India Today. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  27. "Security increased at Kartarpur Corridor after 'terror camps' were spotted near Gurudwara Darbar Sahib | Liist Studio". Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  28. "Case Against Pro-Khalistan Group Member In Haryana For Inciting Terrorism". Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  29. "Gurpatwant Singh Pannun faces multiple cases in Punjab". Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  30. "NIA files chargesheet against 16 'Khalistani' separatists, key members of Sikhs for Justice". Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  31. "Pro-Khalistani Group Sikhs for Justice Banned Over 'Anti-National' Activities; Punjab CM Lauds Move". News18. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  32. Pioneer, The. "Google removes '2020 Sikh Referendum' app from Play Store". The Pioneer. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  33. "Google takes down pro-Khalistan "2020 Sikh Referendum" app from its play store". The Statesman. November 19, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  34. "Facebook allowed to block 'Sikhs for Justice' page in India: US court". Hindustan Times. November 24, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  35. "Punjab: Pro-Khalistan outfit member Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, associates booked for sedition". Deccan Herald. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  36. Pandey, Devesh K. (July 5, 2020). "India blocks 40 websites of Sikhs For Justice". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  37. "Govt blocks 40 websites of banned pro-Khalistan group Sikhs For Justice". Hindustan Times. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
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