US govt has recommended prison sentence of 21-24 yrs for Nikhil Gupta, half of the 40 yrs he faced. He was arrested in Czech Republic in June 2023 and later extradited to the US.
Gupta was arrested in Prague late last year & is now facing trial in a US court on charges of murder-for-hire relating to the assassination attempt on Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
US Drug Enforcement Agency claims it has been able to establish a link between former R&AW man Vikash Gupta, jailed Indian citizen Nikhil Gupta & plot to kill Sikh separatist Pannun.
Court filings reveal Gupta was on NYPD and DEA radar since 2013, with agents tracking his alleged money laundering, drug links, and (finally) conversations tied to Pannun murder plot.
According to the FIR, Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun announced the Rs 11 crore reward in a virtual address from Washington DC at Lahore Press Club.
Chahal was reportedly receiving death threats from Sikh extremist groups. His health had deteriorated after a meal at a friend's house. Autopsy underway.
Gupta was at centre of foiled plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. His family has termed suggestion that he has a son in Pakistan a ‘deliberate error introduced by an interpreter’.
While the Russia-Ukraine war saw the BJP projecting PM Modi as a ‘vishwaguru’ who could end international conflicts, the party has made a nuanced shift in its electoral strategy vis-à-vis the West Asia war.
It’s easy to understand why the government can’t speak the hard truth. When this war ends, as all wars do, India’s interests will lie with both the winner and the loser.
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