THE CORRESPONDENT BUREAU: The Khalistan movement activists have threatened The Correspondent Editor Capt M K Tayal to support the Khalistan movement and not to brand its supporters as terrorists or “face the consequences”.
The anti-India Khalistan terrorist based in Canada warned the Indian journalist from writing against the ‘movement’ and support the ‘Referendum 2020’. “Khalistan will be formed in Punjab. We are going to liberate Punjab from the Indian occupation. The Sikh community is going to have a separate country in Punjab,” a phone by the Khalistan leader Pannu warned the scribe. “I advise you to stay neutral otherwise you will face consequences under the international law very soon,” the Khalistani leader said.
This is the second time The Correspondent journalist has been threatened over phone. The first call was ignored by the Editor thinking it was a prank or some recorded campaign seeking support for Khalistan movement.
However, the second call on May 18 was direct threat to the scribe who has fearlessly written against terrorism and corruption. Capt Tayal had interviewed terrorist-turned self-proclaimed president of Khalistan Jagjit Singh Chauhan in 2004 who had said that the Khalistan will be formed by 2007.
Tayal has also written against actress Shilpa Shetty and her underworld connections, been very verbose against actor Sanjay Dutt for his terrorism actions and singer Daler Mehndi kabutarbazi, exposed corruption by Hurriyat Conference in getting huge sums from Pakistan, interviewed NSCN chief T Muvivah, and even wrote one year before the Mumbai attack about the possibility of terrorists using the sea route to attack India.
Though the call from the USA/Canada number was a recorded message, but it was directly targeted at the author and his credentials were identified as a journalist by the caller. It could be a campaign by the Khalistani movement to draw its attention to its activities but to threaten scribes is all together different.
“The last time, Indian journalists wrote against Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and by branding his followers as terrorists. This time don’t make the same mistake,” ‘Pannu’ claiming to be from the Khalistan ‘Liberation Movement ’ said in the prerecorded phone call.
The scribe texted the area in-charge superintendent of police but the officer has not responded till the time of going on air.. The call came from 001855951** and 001833994**.