A Special NIA Court in New Delhi has directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to begin the process of withdrawing a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against Australian citizen Prabhjot Narang in connection with an alleged death threat made to an Indian diplomat in London.
The case stems from pro-Khalistan protests held outside the Indian High Commission in London on March 19 and 22, 2023. Following the demonstrations, Indian authorities launched an investigation into alleged threats against High Commission officials.
According to the NIA, a threatening phone call was made on March 23, 2023, from a mobile number allegedly linked to Narang to a senior Indian diplomat in the United Kingdom. The agency registered the case on April 13, 2023, and issued an LOC against Narang on October 20, 2023.
Special Judge Pitambar Dutt ordered the NIA to initiate withdrawal proceedings for the LOC after Narang’s lawyers assured the court that he would cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation. The court directed the agency to complete the process within one week and scheduled the matter for a compliance report on July 14.
Represented by advocates Utkarsh Singh and Svayamprabh Mishra, Narang approached the court seeking revocation of the LOC. His legal team argued that he wanted to travel to India to visit family members but feared being detained at the airport because of the circular.
The court was informed that Narang would notify the NIA before travelling to India and would cooperate with investigators as required.
Appearing for the NIA, Special Public Prosecutor Shilpa Singh told the court that the agency would begin the process of withdrawing the LOC and would inform Narang’s legal representatives accordingly.
In his plea, Narang argued that he is an Australian citizen who has neither been named as an accused nor included in the charge sheet filed by the NIA. His lawyers contended that continuing the LOC against someone who is not formally accused in the case was arbitrary and violated his rights.
While the NIA has filed a charge sheet in the broader London High Commission case, Narang has not been named among the accused.
The agency informed the court that an NIA team visited London between May 24 and May 31, 2023, where investigators examined witnesses, inspected the scene and collected CCTV footage from inside the Indian High Commission premises.
During the investigation, a then First Secretary at the High Commission reportedly told officials that protests outside the mission on March 19 and 22 were followed by online campaigns targeting High Commission staff. He further alleged that he received a death threat on his landline on March 23, 2023, from the mobile number under investigation. The threat was reported to the London Metropolitan Police, which later issued a security advisory.
The NIA said its investigation found that the phone number used for the alleged threat was an Australian number registered to Narang. The agency also claimed that the number had frequent contact with Australian nationals Harvinder Singh and Harpreet Singh.
According to Narang’s application, his brother-in-law Harpreet Singh had previously been stopped at an Indian airport in September 2023 in connection with the same case. Information sought by investigators about Narang was later provided through him.
The case forms part of India’s wider investigation into the 2023 protests and violence at the Indian High Commission in London. The NIA has treated the incident as a serious attack on a diplomatic mission and has pursued several suspects and alleged supporters in India and abroad.
In September 2024, the agency filed its first charge sheet in the case against UK national Inderpal Singh Gaba, alleging his involvement in the March 22 protest. The NIA has claimed that the demonstration was linked to a Khalistani separatist agenda.
While the latest court order does not amount to a clean chit for Narang or bring the investigation to a close, it provides immediate relief by directing the NIA to begin withdrawing the LOC that had restricted his travel to India.
The matter is scheduled to return to court on July 14, when the NIA is expected to submit its compliance report.
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