NEW DELHI: India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday described as a “matter of concern” the US charging an Indian national with “meticulously planned conspiracy” to assassinate a Sikh activist and leader on American soil, and asserted that a high-level probe committee will investigate all aspects of the case.
India has constituted a probe team to investigate allegations relating to the foiled plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh activist and leader and known to be an American and Canadian citizen, MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi said at an official briefing.
On Wednesday, US federal prosecutors charged an Indian national Nikhil Gupta with working in collaboration with an Indian government employee, who has not been identified, in the foiled plot to assassinate Pannun.
US prosecutors informed a Manhattan court on Wednesday that authorities in the Czech Republic arrested and detained Nikhil Gupta, hailing from Gujarat, a western states in India, and he is currently awaiting extradition to the US.
“As regards the case against an individual that has been filed in a US court allegedly linking him to an Indian official, this is a matter of concern,” Arindam Bagchi said.
“We have said and let me reiterate that this is also contrary to government policy,” he said.
Bagchi said the “nexus between organised crime, trafficking, gunrunning and extremists at an international level is a serious issue for the law enforcement agencies and organisations to consider and it is precisely for that reason a high-level inquiry committee has been constituted and we will obviously be guided by its results.”
The MEA spokesperson said the US side shared some “inputs” pertaining to nexus between organised criminals, gun runners and terrorists and that India takes such inputs seriously since they impinge on “our national security interests as well” and that relevant departments were examining the issue.
“During the course of discussions with the US on bilateral security cooperation, the US side shared some inputs pertaining to nexus between organised criminals, gunrunners, terrorists and other extremists,” he said.
“We take such inputs very seriously and a high level inquiry committee has been constituted to look into all the relevant aspects of the matter,” he said, in identical remarks that he made on Wednesday.
Bagchi said India will take necessary follow-up action based on the findings of the inquiry committee.
“We cannot share any further information on such security matters,” he said.
Pannun, a leader of the so called ‘Sikhs for Justice’, is wanted by Indian probe agencies on various terror charges.
The Financial Times, from London, citing unnamed sources, first reported last week that US authorities foiled a plot to assassinate Pannun, and issued a warning to the Indian government over concerns it was involved in the plot.
The Washington Post on Wednesday said the Biden administration was so concerned after discovering the plot that it sent CIA Director William J Burns and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to India in August and October respectively to demand investigation and hold those responsible to account.
Washington’s allegations relating to the failed plot came weeks after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that there was a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of alleged Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in a Vancouver suburb on June 18, 2023.
India had strongly rejected Trudeau’s charges.
On Canada’s allegations, Bagchi said the main issue with Ottawa has been that of activities of anti-India elements in that country.
“In so far as Canada is concerned, we have said that they have consistently given space to anti-India extremists and violence and that is actually the heart of the issue. Our diplomatic representatives in Canada have borne the brunt of this,” Bagchi said.
Both the countries had tense diplomatic relations after Nijjar’s assassination and diplomatic strength in New Delhi and Ottawa was scaled down. The Canadian government demanded cooperation from India in carrying out the investigation. The US government also repeated similar demands from India.
The US Justice Department claimed that Gupta, is an associate of CC-1, and has described his involvement in international narcotics and weapons trafficking in his communications with CC-1. The indictment claims CC -1 directed the assassination plot from India.
The US Justice Department claimed that in or about May 2023, CC-1 recruited Gupta to orchestrate the assassination of the activist in the United States. At CC-1’s direction, Gupta contacted an individual whom he believed to be a criminal associate, but who was in fact a confidential source working with the DEA. The source it is alleged introduced Gupta to a purported hitman, who was a DEA undercover officer.
The purported hitman was offered USD 100,000 to murder the Sikh leader, the Justice Department claims. The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
On Wednesday (29th November), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had called on the Indian government to cooperate with Canada in the investigation of the killing of India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, CBC News reported.
Trudeau was quoted by CBC as saying that the news coming out of the US underscores the need for India to take the issue seriously.
Speaking to reporters, Trudeau said, “The news coming out of the United States further underscores what we’ve been talking about from the very beginning: which is India needs to take this seriously.” He said, “The Indian government needs to work with us to ensure that we’re getting to the bottom of this. This is not something that anyone can take lightly.”
Apart from this, some individuals have disclosed on their ‘X’ (Formerly Twitter) that they received threats from unknown numbers. “The FBI already in the loop”, Raqib Hameed Naik, a journalist from Jammu and Kashmir, a north Indian state, posted on the social media platform.
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