NIA seizure: Gurpatwant Singh Pannu’s land was leased out 23 years ago

Neeraj Bagga

Amritsar, September 23

After an order was issued by the NIA Special Court, Mohali, on September 14, the land of proclaimed offender Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, a Canada-based leader of the outlawed Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) outfit, was confiscated at Khankot village today. The land located near the city commands a good market price.

Amid the presence of officials of the investigation agency, the police and Revenue Department, a proclamation order was put up in front of about 22 acres of the ancestral land of the Pannu family at Khankot village on Saturday. The proclamation, written both in Punjabi and English, said Gurpatwant’s share in 22 acres was being confiscated. His share is 1/5.16th (46 kanals) of the total area.

Valued around Rs 1 crore per acre

• Of the 22 acres, 18 acres fall in the Sardara Wala Khankot area. The market value of this land, which is located close to the city, is around Rs 1 crore per acre
• The remaining four acres are at the rear of a five-star hotel-cum-shopping mall & have more commercial value

Soon after being put up, the NIA’s notice attracted attention of villagers and media. After reading it, most of the villagers avoided meeting mediapersons and remained tight-lipped. Locals refrained from commenting on Pannu and his family. The village has three houses of Gurpatwant’s distant relatives, but they refused to speak to mediapersons. A few relatives said they were nationalists, citing that their family member had risen to the post of ambassador. All of them are well off.

Sarpanch Sukhdev Singh said he was not aware of the matter as he had been out of the village. He claimed no representative of any government department came to meet him. He said Gurpatwant’s family had migrated to the US over three decades ago, so the young generation did not know much about them. They never interacted with them even when they came to the village in the past.

Gurpatwant has two brothers. His father Mahinder Singh passed away several years ago. His late father had given the land on lease around 23 years ago. The farmer, who tills the land, said he pays the annual amount to Gurpatwant’s brother or any other family member who usually come once a year.

Of the 22 acres, 18 acres fall in the Sardara Wala Khankot area. The village is divided into three areas with the two other being Parla Khankot and Ram Singh Wala Khankot. With the 18-acre plot located close to the city, the market value of each acre is around Rs 1 crore. The remaining four acres are situated on the rear of a five-star hotel-cum-shopping mall, having more commercial value.