An Indian citizen will be prosecuted in the United States for supporting the planned assassination of a Sikh separatist leader in New York at the behest of an agent of his country’s government, the US Justice Department said on Wednesday.
This issue could poison India’s relations with the United States, as was the case with Canada after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made allegations against Indian intelligence agencies.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on this occasion in September that the United States would be “extremely vigilant when there are allegations of transnational repression.”
He was referring to the phenomenon of authoritarian regimes projecting their control over their citizens beyond their borders, which came to light with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018 and is constantly increasing, according to Human Rights Defenders.
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The US Justice Department is not naming the alleged target in New York, but the Financial Times identified him last week as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a founding lawyer for the US organization Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), which claims an independent state for this minority in northern India .
The person affected, who was classified as a “terrorist” by New Delhi in 2020 and wanted for “terrorism and sedition,” has since confirmed this himself in interviews.
Nikhil Gupta, 52, was charged in New York with ordering his killing, the U.S. Justice Department said, saying he was arrested by Czech authorities on June 30 as part of the extradition treaty between the two countries. He faces two charges, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
According to the indictment, an Indian government agent (identified only by his initials) recruited India-based drug and weapons trafficker Nikhil Gupta to murder “the victim” and in return offered to drop criminal charges against him.
The defendant then contacted a person he believed to be an accomplice, “but who was actually an informant for the American security services to help him hire a hitman.” This person, according to the same source, introduced him to a so-called hitman, in reality an undercover American secret agent.
The Indian government agent, during negotiations led by Nikhil Gupta, agreed to pay $100,000 to this alleged hitman, of which $15,000 was paid to him in advance on June 9, the ministry emphasizes.
“No more waiting”
The announcement follows statements by Mr. Trudeau in September in which he blamed Indian intelligence services for the killing of another Sikh leader, a Canadian of Indian origin, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, on June 18, sparking a diplomatic row between the two countries.
“Nijjar was close to the victim,” emphasizes the US Department of Justice.
Nikhil Gupta then told the alleged hitman that after the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar – who was “also a target” – there was “no need to wait” to fulfill his “contract” that had the victim in New York York targeted. according to the same sources.
The U.S. government “takes this matter with the utmost seriousness and has raised it with the Indian government, including at the highest levels,” U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson told United last week.
“We have made it clear that we expect anyone found guilty to be held accountable,” she stressed.
India’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that New Delhi had “formed a high-level investigative commission on November 18” after Washington was informed of “links between criminal organizations, arms traffickers, terrorists and others.”
“The Indian government will take the necessary measures based on the findings of the commission of inquiry,” assured ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi.