‘Fifth-generation warfare’: Sikh separatist Pannun claims SFJ funding CJP protests against Modi govt

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief of the banned pro-Khalistan outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), has claimed that the organisation is funding protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), describing the alleged support as part of a “fifth-generation warfare” campaign aimed at bringing down Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

Speaking in Edmonton, Canada, Pannun outlined his support for anti-government movements in India and urged foreign investors to withdraw their investments from the country. He also called on Sikh youth across the world to undergo firearms training, portraying it as a form of lawful community defence.

However, the claim that SFJ is funding the CJP protests remains unverified, and no independent evidence has been provided to substantiate the same.

The development comes amid continuing tensions over the detention of CJP activists Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka following a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. The Delhi Police have also transferred a trespassing case against CJP leaders to a Crime Branch unit.

Dipke targets Modi over activists’ judicial custody

Meanwhile, CJP activist Abhijeet Dipke on Monday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the judicial custody of Das and Ranka was extended, accusing the government of using law enforcement agencies to intimidate young protesters.

In a video posted on X, Dipke questioned the Prime Minister’s response to the arrests and the police action against demonstrators in the national capital.

“Narendra Modi, you must be feeling very strong right now. Keeping a 26-year-old Saurav Das in jail must make you feel very strong. Beating up children on the streets, deploying barricades all across Delhi, and dragging all the students on the streets, you must feel very strong,” he said.

Dipke alleged that repeated adjournments had delayed legal proceedings involving the detained activists. He said Das and Ranka had gone to Jantar Mantar to hoist the national flag but were subsequently remanded to judicial custody.

Questioning the government's handling of the case, Dipke asked whether deploying police and relying on the judicial process against young protesters demonstrated strength.

He also described Das as an example of courage, recounting how the activist had reportedly struggled with the prospect of spending even a day in prison before his detention.

The remarks add to the political tensions surrounding the CJP protests, the activists’ detention and the police action against demonstrators in Delhi. Pannun’s separate claim of SFJ funding for the protests has not been independently verified. (With Agency inputs)