Security in the capital of Jharkhand has been heightened following a threat from designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, based in the U.S., aimed at disrupting the fourth Test match between India and England in Ranchi, officials confirmed.
Officials revealed that Pannun, designated as a terrorist by the Home Ministry, has issued an appeal to the banned CPI (Maoist) via a video posted on social media, urging them to disrupt the upcoming match. The fourth Test is scheduled to begin at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on February 23, with the England team already in the city since Tuesday. Pannun’s threat targets both the Indian and English teams, aiming to cancel the match by inciting disturbance through CPI (Maoist) intervention.
Deputy Superintendent of Police, Hatia, P.K. Mishra informed reporters on Tuesday that an FIR has been lodged against Pannun at Dhurwa police station under the IT Act, with an investigation underway. Pannun has been under the National Investigation Agency’s scrutiny since 2019, when the agency registered its initial case against him as a “designated individual terrorist,” known for instigating fear and terror primarily in Punjab and other parts of the country through threats and intimidation tactics. Non-bailable warrants for Pannun’s arrest were issued by the Special NIA Court on February 3, 2021, and he was declared a “Proclaimed Offender” on November 29 of the same year. In a tightening grip around Pannun, who operates from the U.S. and Canada, the NIA seized a property owned by him in Punjab’s Amritsar and the Union Territory of Chandigarh in September 2023, further targeting his resources linked to the outlawed Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) outfit.
