“Unwarranted, unsubstantiated imputations”, India condemns US article on conspiracy to assassinate Pannun
In November of last year, US federal prosecutors charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta with collaborating with an Indian government official in the failed conspiracy to kill Pannun
India has condemned The Washington Post’s revelation that identified the RAW official reportedly involved in the conspiracy to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil. The Washington Post has identified the previously unnamed officer as Vikram Yadav, who collaborated with Nikhil Gupta in an effort to assassinate Pannun. The article further claimed that RAW chief Samant Goel had approved the operation.
“The report in question makes unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter. There is an ongoing investigation of the High Level Committee set up by the government of India to look into the security concerns shared by the US government on networks of organised criminals, terrorists and others. Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal.
According to The Washington Post, Yadav shared information about Pannun, including his New York address. According to the report, Goel was under “extreme pressure to eliminate the alleged threat of Sikh extremists overseas”.
The plot to assassinate Pannun coincided with the death of another Khalistani terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Canada. According to the report, after increasing its “surveillance and harassment” of Sikhs and other groups considered as unfriendly to the Modo regime, several RAW and operatives have been arrested, expelled, or reprimanded in Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House Press Secretary, stated on Monday that the Indian government takes this problem very seriously. “We expect the administration to account for that. But we will continue to voice our concerns. This is not going to stop. “We will continue to raise our concerns directly with the Indian government,” the press secretary said.
In November of last year, US federal prosecutors charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta with collaborating with an Indian government official in the failed conspiracy to kill Pannun, a Khalistani extremist on American territory.
Pannun, wanted in India on terror charges, has dual citizenship in the United States and Canada.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced in Parliament on December 7 that India has formed an inquiry committee to investigate the inputs received from the United States in the issue, since the matter has implications for national security.
You might also be interested in – Apple’s success in India: 1.5 lakh jobs created and export doubled
