India accused of trying to murder US citizen in NY after Canada assassination

30 November 2023 , 12:28

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Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is pictured in his office on Wednesday (Image: AP)

The US says it has foiled an alleged plot to assassinate an American citizen in New York who advocated for a Sikh separatist state.

Nikhil Gupta, 52, was charged yesterday with murder-for-hire charges after he was directed by an Indian government employee to carry out the killing, according to the indictment.

“As alleged, the defendant conspired from India to assassinate, right here in New York City, a US citizen of Indian origin who has publicly advocated for the establishment of a sovereign state for Sikhs, an ethno-religious minority group in India," US Attorney Damian Williams said.

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Czech authorities arrested and detained Gupta on June 30 in Czechoslovakia through a bilateral extradition treaty between the US and the Czech Republic.

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A member of United Hindu Front organisation holds a banner depicting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a lawyer believed to be based in Canada designated as a Khalistani terrorist by the Indian authorities (AFP via Getty Images)

It was not immediately clear when he might be brought to the States.

India had set up a high-level inquiry after American authorities raised concerns with New Delhi that its government may have had knowledge of a plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader on American soil.

Officials became aware of the plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is considered a terrorist by the Indian government.

Anne Milgram, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said they stopped the plot when a foreign government employee recruited an international narcotics trafficker to commit murder in the US.

Activists of the Dal Khalsa Sikh organisation, a pro-Khalistan group, stage a demonstration demanding justice for Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed in June 2023 near Vancouver

According to the indictment, the plot was directed by an Indian government agency employee who has described himself as a “senior field officer” with responsibilities in “security management” and “intelligence” and also claims to have served in India's Central Reserve Police Force and been trained in “battle craft” and “weapons.”

The allegation comes just two months after India suspended visa services for Canadian citizens following the assassination of a Sikh separatist in Vancouver.

Relations between Ottawa and New Delhi plunged to their lowest-ever point after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Members of Sikhs For Justice rally against Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in Lafayette Square across the street from the White House

India angrily rejected the allegation calling it "absurd".

Sikhs are a religious minority that makes up about two per cent of India's population.

Some groups have long called for a separate homeland for Sikhs.

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The Indian government has often reacted sharply to demands by Sikh separatists in Western countries for Khalistan, or a separate homeland.

Christopher Bucktin