India‘s Shadow War

As 2014,violence and discrimination have risen in India. Prime Minister modi, leading the far-right Bharatiya Janata Party, has pushed a Hindu-nationalist agenda. it villainizes and attacks religious minorities. For a party believing Hindus should rule India, the Sikh separatist movement is a major problem-especially with calls for independence coming from Canada and the U.S.

According to a source within Indian intelligence,senior RAW officials have a “skewed worldview.” They believe “everything is a conspiracy” and “the West is out to get India.” This paranoia likely fueled the recent assassination plots. It’s a serious issue.

India considers Hardeep Singh Pannun’s law offices a terror hub. they claim he directs “Punjab based gangsters and youth” to threaten India’s “sovereignty, integrity, and security.” The offices are in a large corporate center in East Elmhurst, Queens. It’s decorated with modern sculptures and water features.

Inside, it looks like a small business stuck in time. Post-it notes cover the walls. Papers are stacked everywhere. A mini-fridge holds old lunches. It doesn’t scream “hazardous operative.”

During a recent visit, I went through back hallways and was searched by two large guards. The main entrance was locked, and the waiting room was dark.Pannun, dressed in black, met me in a small conference room. “I’ve only worn black since 2023,” he said.”I’ll change when we liberate punjab.”

He grew up near Amritsar, home to Sikhism’s Golden Temple. In 1984, the Indian military invaded the gurdwara to capture Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a Sikh militant. This was Operation Blue Star. The army fired on Bhindranwale’s followers and civilians.

The government says a few hundred died, but self-reliant reports suggest over four thousand. This attack, authorized by Gandhi, led to her assassination. Pannun was seventeen then. “We could see the helicopters bombing, the shooting,” he said. “There was blood everywhere.”