U.S. officials have told their Indian counterparts they want a speedy result and more accountability in a foiled murder plot against a Sikh activist in the United States, according to a U.S. official. This came in after their investigation in which they claimed Indian involvement.
An Indian Enquiry Committee visited Washington last week to discuss India’s own investigations, This came in after the Justice Department alleged an Indian intelligence official had directed plans to assassinate dual U.S.-Canada citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist, last year.
“We’ve communicated really clearly that the U.S. government isn’t going to feel fully satisfied until we see that meaningful accountability takes place,” said a U.S. official. The official, who declined to be named, said “we have been emphasising that we hope that India will move as quickly as possible through their investigative process.”
The Indian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Washington’s message to Indian officials has not been previously reported.
Who Is Pannun And What Happened?
Last week, an unsealed indictment showed that the United States had charged Vikash Yadav with directing the plot against Pannun in New York. Yadav was described as a former officer in India’s Research and Analysis Wing spy service.
The indictment alleged that beginning in May 2023, Yadav worked with others in India and abroad to direct a plot against Pannun. He was described as an employee of the Indian government at the time,
The accusations have tested Washington’s relations with India, which the Biden administration sees as a potential counterbalance to China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific.
“India remains an incredibly important and valuable strategic partner,” the U.S. official said. “We also have to have trust and an ability to work through very difficult issues like this transparently.”
India’s Stance On Sikh Separatists
India has labelled Sikh separatists as “terrorists” and threats to its security. Sikh separatists demand an independent homeland known as Khalistan, which would be carved out of India. An insurgency in India during the 1980s and 1990s killed tens of thousands.
Pannun, the Sikh separatist, has alleged that Yadav was a “mid-tier soldier” assigned the task of organising the assassination by higher-level Indian officials.
India has said little publicly since announcing in November 2023 it would formally investigate the allegations, and it has separately continued a diplomatic dispute with Canada over the June 2023 assassination of another Sikh leader.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in September his country’s intelligence agency was pursuing credible allegations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government was behind the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh separatist.
India has denied involvement in both incidents.
(with inputs from Reuters)
