WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — India has expressed serious concerns over a recent threat made against its Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, by U.S.-based Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed on Dec. 20 that it has raised the issue with U.S. authorities.

Pannun, who India has deemed a terrorist, has dual American-Canadian citizenship. He accused India’s ambassador of collaborating with Russian law enforcement to collect intelligence about Khalistanis in America.

“Whenever such threats are issued, we take them very seriously,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a briefing in New Delhi. “We have raised this specific matter with the U.S. government, and we expect them to take our security concerns seriously and act accordingly.”

Ambassador Kwatra assumed office in August 2024. However, despite the threat from Khalistan separatists who have increasingly targeted Indian diplomatic missions and the Hindu community in the U.S., he has played a vital role in pushing forward India-U.S. relations.

This is not the first time Pannun has been under scrutiny for his activities against the Indian officials. In October 2024, the MEA responded to another incident involving Pannun, when a suspect was named in a U.S. Justice Department indictment for an alleged murder for hire plot against the separatist leader. U.S. prosecutors claimed that Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, had been recruited to hire a hitman to kill Pannun in New York City. The suspect was confirmed no longer working for the Indian government. That plot was thwarted by U.S. authorities.

Pannun is general counsel to Sikhs for Justice and uses social media regularly to  push for an independent Sikh state on Indian soil in Punjab. SFJ’s frequent clashes with Indian nationals and diplomats who disagree with their pursuit have inflamed tensions in the U.S. and Canada.

The U.S. government has not issued comments regarding specific threats against Ambassador Kwatra, but India appears confident of its ability to respond to security concerns.