US federal prosecutors accused Indian national Nikhil Gupta of working with an Indian government official in the abortive plot to kill Pannun in November of last year.
India has denounced the revelation made by The Washington Post, which named the RAW official purportedly engaged in the plot to kill the terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Khalistani, on US land. The previously unidentified officer has been identified by The Washington Post as Vikram Yadav, who worked with Nikhil Gupta to carry out Pannun’s assassination. The paper went on to say that the operation got the approval of Samant Goel, the chief of RAW.
The aforementioned report contains unjustified and unsupported allegations about a significant issue. The Indian government established the High Level Committee to examine into security concerns that the US government raised regarding networks of terrorists, organized crime, and other groups. The committee is now conducting an inquiry into these concerns. Speakingswoman for the Ministry of External Affairs Randhir Jaiswal stated that “speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful.”
The Washington Post claims that Yadav disclosed details about Pannun, including his residence in New York. Goel was under “extreme pressure to eliminate the alleged threat of Sikh extremists overseas,” the report said.
Assassination plot against Pannun occurred at the same time as another terrorist from Khalistani, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, died in Canada. The article claims that numerous RAW agents have been detained, banished, or punished in Australia, Germany, and the UK after intensifying their “surveillance and harassment” of Sikhs and other groups deemed antagonistic to the Modo regime.
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The White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said on Monday that the Indian government is taking this issue very seriously. “We anticipate that the administration will answer for that. However, we will keep voicing our concerns. There will be no stopping this. The press secretary declared, “We will keep bringing up our concerns directly with the Indian government.”
Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, was accused by US federal prosecutors in November of last year of working with an Indian government official in an unsuccessful plot to assassinate Pannun, a Khalistani terrorist, on US soil.
Pannun holds dual citizenship with the United States and Canada. He is wanted in India on terror-related accusations.
Since the problem has ramifications for national security, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar declared in Parliament on December 7 that India has created an inquiry committee to look into the suggestions made by the US on the matter.
