Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has formally requested that the United States impose sanctions on Indian officials allegedly linked to a plot to assassinate American citizen and SFJ leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
In a letter addressed to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, SFJ called for swift and decisive action against those involved in what the group described as an act of transnational repression. The letter urges the Trump administration to sanction Indian operatives allegedly connected to the attempted contract killing of Pannun on American soil.
SFJ specifically requested that entry bans be placed on several high-ranking Indian officials under the newly announced US visa restrictions policy aimed at curbing international repression. Among those named were Ajit Doval, India’s National Security Advisor, Taranjit Sandhu, and former RAW chief Samant Goel.
The organization claimed to have submitted supporting evidence regarding the assassination plot to the US State Department.
Earlier in April, SFJ accused the Indian government of placing a bounty on Pannun, describing it as a blatant example of state-backed extraterritorial violence. In a separate letter to Vice President JD Vance, SFJ’s General Counsel and prominent human rights lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun condemned the alleged bounty as a criminal solicitation to commit murder on U.S. soil, calling it a direct challenge to American sovereignty and national security.
The group urged Vice President Vance to officially recognize the assassination attempt and the alleged bounty as acts of state-sponsored violent repression, holding the Modi administration accountable.
SFJ, known for advocating for an independent Sikh homeland—Khalistan—continues to call for international intervention against what it sees as escalating efforts by the Indian state to silence dissent beyond its borders.
