Pannun murder plot: India considers institutional reforms, US official says
Washington: India has told the United States it is considering “potential institutional reforms” as part of its investigations into the allegations made by US prosecutors that an Indian government official was behind the foiled attempt to target a pro-Khalistan leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
According to Kashmir Media Service, this was stated Kurt M Campbell, Deputy Secretary of State in the US government, during a press briefing. Campbell highlighted India’s cooperation and responsiveness on the issue but stressed the US’s commitment to seeking accountability from the Indian government regarding the allegations. His remarks were also in context of a report by Bloomberg in March this year, which said India had told the US that “rogue” operatives not authorised by the government were behind the alleged plot to kill Pannun.
The US persecutors say that Indian national Nikhil Gupta, 53, collaborated with the Indian government official to hire a ‘hitman,’ who turned out to be an undercover American federal agent. Gupta, 53, was arrested by Czechia officials last June and recently extradited to the US following a request from American authorities. The case suggests Gupta was promised resolution of a criminal case in Gujarat in exchange for planning the assassination.
During his arraignment in a New York federal court, Gupta pleaded ‘not guilty.’
Following the announcement that Gupta was in US custody, US attorney general Merrick B. Garland stated that the extradition “makes clear that the Justice Department will not tolerate attempts to silence or harm American citizens”. “Nikhil Gupta will now face justice in an American courtroom for his involvement in an alleged plot, directed by an employee of the Indian government, to target and assassinate a US citizen for his support of the Sikh separatist movement in India,” he said.
The US allegations came after Canada said that Indian government officials were potentially involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh activist and Canadian national.
