Who is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun for whose ‘murder plot’ an ex-RAW official has been charged in the US

Believed to be in his early 50s, Pannun comes from Khankot village on the outskirts of Amritsar (Image: PTI)

US authorities have indicted a former Indian government official for his alleged role in a foiled plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist leader, on American territory.

Vikash Yadav, 39, was employed by the Cabinet Secretariat, which houses India’s foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the federal prosecutors claimed on Thursday in an indictment filed in a US court in New York.

Yadav faces murder-for-hire and money laundering charges in connection with his role in directing a foiled plot to kill Pannun.

In a statement, the US Justice Department said, "Yadav is charged in a second superseding indictment unsealed today in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Yadav's alleged co-conspirator, Nikhil Gupta, 53, was previously charged and extradited to the United States on the charges contained in the first superseding indictment. Yadav remains at large."

Who is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the Sikh separatist who was allegedly the target of foiled murder plot in US?

-         Pannun, one of the main leaders of the Khalistan movement, is a lawyer based out of the United States. He reportedly holds dual citizenship of the US and Canada

-         Believed to be in his early 50s, Pannun comes from Khankot village on the outskirts of Amritsar.

-         Pannun earned his law degree from Punjab University in the 1990s and now practices as an attorney in the United States. He maintains a presence in Canada as well, where he regularly appears at pro-Khalistan events and gatherings.

-         He is popularly known as the founder and spokesperson of ‘Sikhs For Justice’, a pro Khalistan advocacy organisation based out of New York.

-         SFJ was found in 2007 “with the express intent of achieving self-determination for the Sikh people in their historic homeland in the region of Indian held Punjab and establishing a sovereign state, popularly known as Khalistan.”

-         Pannun started coming to the spotlight after SFJ started suing prominent Indian political leaders and celebrities when they visited US. SFJ filed cases against Congress’s Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, during their US visit

-          Pannun’s name was in the headlines in 2018 when he announced in London a "Referendum 2020" to “liberate Punjab” that's currently occupied by India.

-         A year later, the Indian government banned Pannun’s SFJ under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA)

-         Pannun has openly issued threats many times. For instance, he openly threatened individuals planning to travel by Air India on November 19, Indira Gandhi’s birthday, warning that there could be threats to life

-         He also vowed to “avenge the death” of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Sikh separatist leader who was murdered on Canadian soil last year.