- Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of SFJ threatened Kapil Sharma over his Canada business activities
- Pannun accused Mr Sharma of promoting Hindutva ideology in Canada under guise of business
- Shots were fired at Mr Sharma's Kaps Cafe in Surrey, British Columbia, earlier this week
Pro-Khalistan separatist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has threatened actor-comedian Kapil Sharma, saying "Canada is not your playground" and threatened him to "take back his blood money back to Hindustan".
In a video message, Pannun, who was designated an "individual terrorist" by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2019, also accused Mr Sharma of promoting Hindutva ideology on the pretext of doing business in Canada and said the country will not allow such ideas to take shape on its soil.
The threat came days after Mr Sharma's newly-opened restaurant, Kap's Cafe, in Surrey, British Columbia, came under fire by unknown men on Wednesday night. Harjit Singh Laddi and Toofan Singh - both linked to proscribed terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) - claimed responsibility for the attack.
BKI is recognised as a terrorist outfit by the Canadian government. Laddi is on the National Investigation Agency's most-wanted list.
"Canada is not your playground. Take your blood money back to Hindustan. Canada will not allow violent Hindutva ideology to take root on Canadian soil under the guise of business," Pannun said in the threat message directed at Mr Sharma.
He sought to know if Kap's Cafe was "just a comedy venue or part of a larger strategy to export Hindutva". "One business at a time?" he asked.
On Wednesday, shots were fired at comedian Mr Sharma's Kap's Cafe that opened on July 4. No one was injured in the incident.
In an Instagram post on Friday, the cafe said they were "processing the shock" but stand firm against violence. Mr Sharma is yet to respond to the incident.
SFJ is a banned organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for its anti-national activities which, according to the home ministry, are prejudicial to the internal security and integrity of the country. The SFJ continues to be involved in anti-national and subversive activities in Punjab and elsewhere and intended to disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India, the ministry said earlier.
According to the Centre, SFJ maintains close ties with militant outfits and activists, actively encouraging and aiding secessionist activities, including attempts to destabilize the democratically elected government of India.
The National Investigation Agency has registered and is probing several cases against Mr Pannun. The SFJ founder has a total of 104 cases against him, all of which are either being probed by NIA or the states where they have been registered.
