US accuses Indian agent of directing plot to assassinate American citizen
US prosecutors have accused an agent of the Indian government of directing the attempted assassination of an American citizen on US soil, according to a superseding indictment released by the Department of Justice, which revealed new details about India’s alleged targeting of Sikh activists around the world.
The indictment also provided new evidence that the Indian agent – who is not named – ordered the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh activist who was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia in June.
The Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, announced in September that there were “credible allegations” that agents of the Indian government had carried out the assassination of Nijjar. The allegations was denied by India, which called the claim “absurd” and politically motivated.
The US indictment now appears to confirm, however, evidence of a global plot allegedly orchestrated in India to silence and kill vocal critics of the Indian government who support the creation of an independent Sikh state.
The Department of Justice has not named the Indian state government official – who it refers to as CC-1 in the indictment – but it has charged another individual, Nikhil Gupta, 52, of working in close connection with the Indian agent.
Gupta, an Indian national, is described as a “close associate” of CC-1, and has allegedly described his involvement in international drug and weapons trafficking. He was arrested and detained on 30 June in the Czech Republic and is being extradited to the US under a bilateral extradition treaty.
The Financial Times first reported last week that US authorities had thwarted a conspiracy to assassinate a Sikh separatist on American soil and had issued a warning to India’s government over concerns it was involved in the plot.
US officials reportedly identified the target of the plot as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief legal counsel for the US-based group Sikhs for Justice, which organizes unofficial referendums on creating an independent Sikh state.
In a statement to the Guardian at the time, Singh said: “The foiled attempt on my life on American soil by the Indian agents is transnational terrorism which is a threat to the US sovereignty, freedom of speech and democracy, so I will let the US government respond to this threat.”
In response to the FT article, a spokesperson for India’s ministry of external affairs said: “During the course of recent discussions on India-US security cooperation, the US side shared some inputs pertaining to nexus between organised criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others. The inputs are a cause of concern for both countries and they decided to take necessary follow-up action.
“On its part, India takes such inputs seriously since it impinges on our own national security interests as well. Issues in the context of US inputs are already being examined by relevant departments.”
More details soon …