New Delhi [India], June 16 (ANI): A Special NIA Court at New Delhi has asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to initiate proceedings to withdraw the Look Out Circular (LOC) against Prabhjot Narang, a suspect of extending a death threat to an Indian diplomat in London.
It is alleged that a threatening call was made from his mobile number to a senior Indian diplomat in the United Kingdom on March 23, 2023. The mobile number was found to belong to Prabhjot Narang.
The case pertains to a protest at the Indian High Commission in London on March 19 and 22, 2023, by Pro-Khalistani protestors.
The NIA had initiated an investigation after registering a case on April 13, 2023.
It was found during the inquiry by the NIA that the mobile number used for extending a death threat was frequently in touch with Harvinder Singh and Harpreet Singh. An LOC was issued against him on October 20, 2023.
The court granted the relief after Prabhjot Narang’s advocate gave an undertaking to cooperate with the investigation. Prabhjot is residing in Australia and wishes to come to India. He will inform the NIA about his travel to India.
Special Judge (NIA) Pitambar Dutt directed the NIA to initiate the withdrawal of the LOC opened against Prabhjot Narang after noting that his counsel filed an undertaking as sought by the NIA in its reply.
“Let the needful be done by NIA within a week from now,” the Special Judge ordered on June 8.
Special Public Prosecutor Shilpa Singh appeared for NIA. She submitted that they shall initiate the proceedings regarding the withdrawal of the LOC against the applicant and apprise the same to the Counsel for the applicant.
The court listed the matter for the filing of a compliance report on July 14.
Prabhjot Narang, an Australian citizen, had approached the court through advocate Utkarsh Singh and Svayamprabh Mishra seeking revocation of the LOC opened against him.
It was stated that on September 25, 2023, his brother-in-law, Harpreet Singh, was stopped at the airport pursuant to a Look Out Circular issued in connection with the case. During the course of inquiry, certain particulars pertaining to Prabhjot were sought by the investigating agency and the same were duly furnished through him.
It is also stated that the applicant, being a foreign national and not an accused in the NIA case, sought to visit India to meet his family members. However, due to the apprehension of detention at the airport pursuant to a Look Out Circular, the applicant is unable to travel to India.
The NIA has already filed a charge sheet. Prabhjot Singh has not been named in the charge sheet.
It is stated that any issuance or continuation of a Look Out Circular against him, who is neither an accused nor a suspect in the case, would be arbitrary, illegal and violative of his fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.
On the other hand, the NIA filed a reply stating that an NIA team visited London from May 24, 2023, to May 31, 2023, inspected the scene of the crime, examined eye witnesses and seized footage of cameras installed within the High Commission of India (HCI) premises.
During the examination, one of the eye witnesses, the then First Secretary (Trade), HCI, London, stated that there were two successive protests, on March 19 and 22 in 2023, outside the HCI, London, after which false propaganda against HCI officials was spread on social media, the reply stated.
He had further stated that on March 23, at about 11:08 am, he received a threat call from the mobile number on his landline number. The caller threatened him with death. The London Metropolitan Police was intimated and after two days of threat assessment, a security advisory was issued to him by the London Metropolitan Police.
The NIA said that during investigations, it revealed that the number used for making the threat call is an Australian number and it belongs to one Prabhjot Singh, an Australian national. Investigations further revealed that the said number was in frequent contact with Harvinder Singh and with Harpreet Singh, also an Australian national. (ANI)
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