KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A case was registered on Wednesday after some employees of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) had been receiving audio messages threatening to destroy the Indian Economy since March 12, the same day when the BSE building was destroyed in a bomb blast in 1993.
The complainant, Abhijit Anand Pai, 45, BSE deputy general manager, investor services department, said that the audio clip said to beware from March 12 to April 30.
According to Pai, several of their employees’ mobile numbers, mentioned on the website in the Contact Us section, have received the audio clips.
The pre-recorded audio messages said: “On 12th of March 1993, we destroyed the BSE Building. This year we will not destroy that building. We will destroy the economy. Beware from 12th March to 30th April. Sell all your ICICI Stocks and buy American stocks, Modi Government will be destroyed. Sikhs for Justice General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.”
The police said all the clips were received from mobile numbers starting with +44 — the country code for the United Kingdom — however, the police suspect that the call may or may not have originated from the UK, as the country code can be changed by using VOIP.
“Four employees of BSE have received the messages several times. We have registered a case against unknown people under sections 505 (1) (B) (whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement, rumours or report), 505 (2) (statements conducting to public mischief), 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) and 507 (Criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication) of the Indian Penal Code,” said an official from RA Marg police.
The police suspect it to be the work of Pannun, leader of Sikh for Justice (SFJ), who has given open threats to India in the past.
In the first week of January, several well-known people in the city received audio clips from a person claiming to be Pannun. The Mumbai Police had initiated an inquiry into the matter. In the message the man has been claiming that the 12th of March is D-Day for Indian Financial Markets, and they are going to destroy the Indian economy, by not bombing the stock markets, but by making them bankrupt.
Pannun had earlier instigated Muslims to stop Prime Minister Modi’s Ayodhya roadshows on December 30 after which the intelligence agency went on high alert. He then sent a video message.
He had earlier threatened to ‘shut down’ the ICC World Cup final and later attack Parliament. He had also warned the global Sikh community against flying aboard Air India.
In November 2023, the US federal prosecutors charged Indian National, Nikhil Gupta, working with an Indian government employee in a foiled plot to kill Pannun on American soil.