The United States has charged a former Indian intelligence officer in connection with a failed plot to assassinate a Khalistani separatist leader in New York, federal prosecutors revealed on Thursday.
Vikash Yadav, a former officer with India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), has been indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and money laundering. The indictment was unsealed in a New York court. Yadav, 39, is accused of directing a plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen and prominent Khalistani separatist leader. He remains at large and is believed to be in India, with US authorities expected to seek his extradition.
The US Justice Department claims that Yadav, along with Indian national Nikhil Gupta, orchestrated the assassination plan. Gupta, who was arrested in Prague in June 2023 and extradited to the US, has pleaded not guilty to his involvement in the plot.
The FBI described the alleged plot as part of an effort by Indian officials to retaliate against Pannun's activism.
"The FBI will not tolerate acts of violence or retaliation against individuals residing in the US for exercising their constitutionally protected rights," said FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Pannun is a leader of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a group that advocates for the secession of Punjab from India to create an independent Sikh homeland, Khalistan. The Indian government has labeled Khalistani separatists as terrorists.
Foiled assassination plot
According to the indictment, Yadav began orchestrating the plot in May 2023 while still employed by the Indian government. He allegedly recruited Gupta, who later hired what he believed to be a hitman. However, he was unaware that the hitman was an informant for US authorities.
Gupta is said to have traveled to the Czech Republic to arrange the murder, but the plot was foiled by US law enforcement before it could be carried out. The US authorities disrupted the plot, preventing Pannun’s assassination.
The Justice Department revealed that the assassination was planned to occur after the June 2023 murder of another Khalistani separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Canada. The indictment noted that after Nijjar's death, Yadav believed it was time to move forward with the assassination of Pannun.
International tensions and investigations
The allegations have added strain to relations between the US and India, with Washington urging New Delhi to investigate the involvement of its officials in the plot. Indian authorities informed the US that Yadav is no longer employed by the Indian government.
The revelations come shortly after meeting in Washington between US officials and an Indian inquiry committee investigating the matter. The US expressed satisfaction with India's cooperation, with the State Department confirming that Yadav was no longer in government service.
The case mirrors similar allegations from Canada, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian agents of involvement in the killing of Nijjar on Canadian soil.
Responses and repercussions
Pannun, in response to the indictment, welcomed the charges against Yadav but referred to him as a "mid-tier soldier" working under orders from senior Indian officials. Pannun also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of attempting to dismantle the Khalistani separatist movement through extrajudicial means.
Yadav now, meanwhile, faces multiple charges in the US, while Gupta remains in custody awaiting trial. The plot to assassinate Pannun is the latest development in a series of alleged actions by India against Khalistani separatists abroad.
India has faced similar allegations in the past regarding its targeting of Khalistani separatists overseas. In a recent escalation, Canada expelled Indian diplomats, alleging their involvement in the murder of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. India has strongly denied these allegations and responded by expelling Canadian diplomats in return.
Washington has praised India's cooperation with the US in the investigation of the Pannun case, however, also pointed out New Delhi's lack of cooperation with Ottawa in the case of Hardeep Singh Nijjar's murder, further highlighting the diplomatic tensions between India and its Western allies.
These accusations have intensified diplomatic tensions between India, the US, and Canada, complicating relations at a time when the West views India as a critical ally in countering China's growing influence in the region.
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