New Delhi: Just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, senior American government officials met with Sikh separatists and promised to protect them from transnational repression. The meeting also saw US officials discuss the foiled murder for hire plot against separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun—an India designated terrorist.
“Thankful to U.S. officials for their vigilance in protecting Sikh Americans. We will hold them to their assurances to do more in safeguarding our community. Freedom and justice must prevail,” said Pritpal Singh, founder of the American Sikh Caucus Committee, in a post on X.
According to reports, the meeting was held with senior members of the White House and US intelligence officials—the first ever to be held by the National Security Council.
In November 2023, the US Justice Department indicted an Indian citizen—Nikhil Gupta—for being behind a plot to assassinate Pannun. Gupta, is alleged to have been working with an Indian intelligence official from the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).
Gupta, who was detained by Czech authorities in 2023, was extradited to the US earlier this year and continues to remain in American custody. India had announced a high-level committee to inquire into the evidence shared by the US with regards to the murder for hire plot.
Last week, Pannun filed a civil lawsuit against the government of India, the former chief of the R&AW Samant Goel, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and an alleged intelligence officer Vikram Yadav.
A federal court in New York issued a summons to the aforementioned officials Thursday, giving the Indian government 21 days to respond or face a judgment by default. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri dismissed the court case, stating that the new case does not “change our views on the underlying situation.”
Misri added that “these are completely unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations.” Doval was seemingly absent from the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joseph R. Biden in Delaware Saturday.
Pannun’s legal team had sought a civil case against the Indian government as such cases have a lower standard of proof necessary than a criminal trial. Pannun has alleged assault and emotional distress caused by the Indian government and due to this compensation for the same.
On 18 September 2023, the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had accused Indian intelligence agencies of having links to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was also designated a terrorist by India.
Nijjar was gunned down outside of a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia in June 2023. India rejected the allegations calling them “absurd and motivated”. While ties have remained frosty between the two countries, Ottawa has yet to share any evidence of the links between Indian officials and the killing of Nijjar.
Earlier this year, Canadian authorities arrested four Indian citizens for the murder of Nijjar.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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The best response to this “situation” is to blow up Pannun’s pager/cell. Hope RAW is competent enough to carry it out.
That would show our intent and resolve in dealing with terrorism.