US Regularly Assisting India In Investigation Into Suspected Plan to Kill Sikh Separatist Leader

According to a US State Department source, the US and India are “regularly working” together to investigate the claims about the assassination plan of Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US State Department, Vedant Patel, made the comments after The Washington Post’s publication of an unidentified source that implicated a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer in the conspiracy to assassinate Pannun on US territory last year.

India vehemently denied the allegations on Tuesday, stating that an inquiry was being conducted and that the article included “unwarranted and unsubstantiated” imputations on a sensitive subject.

On Tuesday, at his daily press conference, Patel said, “We are regularly working with the Indian inquiry committee and enquiring for additional updates, and we continue to expect accountability from the Government of India based on the results of their work.” When asked about The Washington Post report, which named the RAW officer as Vikram Yadav and claimed that he was involved in the plot to assassinate Pannun, Patel responded, “We’ll also continue to raise our concerns directly with the Indian Government at senior levels, but beyond that, I’m not going to parse into this further and will defer to the Department of Justice.”

The US Daily’s article was harshly criticized by External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Tuesday.

He said in New Delhi that “the report in question makes unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter.” According to Jaiswal, the matter is currently being investigated by a high-level probe team that New Delhi established to examine US involvement in the purported scheme.

“The US government has shared security concerns about networks of terrorists, organized crime, and other groups, and the Indian government has established a high-level committee to look into these issues,” he said.

Jaiswal said, “Speculative and careless remarks on it are not helpful.”

US federal prosecutors accused Indian national Nikhil Gupta of collaborating with an Indian government official in the thwarted attempt to murder Pannun in November of last year.

Pannun, who has both Canadian and US citizenship, is sought in India on terror-related allegations. The Union Home Ministry has classified him as a terrorist in accordance with the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which is an anti-terror statute.

Weeks after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in September of last year that there was a “potential” role for Indian operatives in the June 18 murder of Khalistani rebel Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, the claims about the abortive attempt to assassinate Pannun surfaced.

India has vehemently denied the accusations.

Speaking in Parliament on December 7, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that since the Pannun issue involves national security, India has formed an investigation committee to examine the US’s contribution.