The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said here on Wednesday that India has established a “high-level” investigation committee. To investigate claims made by the US government about an Indian conspiracy aimed at Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. AKhalistani activist living in the U.S. who is sought on terror charges.
The shocking claims, are included in an indictment from the U.S. Department of Justice that was made public on Wednesday. Place the blame for the assassination plot’s mastermind at the high level on an unidentified Indian intelligence official known only as CC-1. The indictment suggests that the Gujarat Police dropped criminal charges against Mr. Gupta. At the request of the Indian intelligence official in order to facilitate the contract killing. It also alleges that the official recruited a person named Nikhil Gupta to hire a hitman with an advance payment.
Additionally, it asserts a connection between the purported conspiracy against Mr. Pannun and the murderous scheme of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, of which Canada has charged with being orchestrated by Indian government operatives.
Indictment by the U.S. Attorney
“The defendant [Nikhil Gupta] planned to kill, here in New York City. A citizen of Indian descent who has openly supported the creation of a sovereign state for the Sikhs. An ethnoreligious minority group in India,” the court filed the complaint. According to a news statement from the Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney’s office, U.S. Attorney Damien Williams stated. Mr. Williams said, “We stand ready to investigate, thwart, and prosecute anyone who seeks to harm and silence Americans here or abroad. We will not tolerate efforts to assassinate U.S. citizens on U.S. soil.”
According to the announcement, Nikhil Gupta was detained in the Czech Republic on June 30 and is currently awaiting extradition proceedings to the United States.
Brought up to the greatest standards
The indictment was mentioned in an article published in the American newspaper The Washington Post on Wednesday. The article stated that between June and October of this year, the President, Secretary of State, National Security Advisor, and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States all indeed brought up the allegations at the highest levels.
The charges made by the Canadian government regarding the death of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was indeed based in Canada, were preceded by reports from the United States, according to the Financial Times of the United Kingdom. India had previously refuted and described the claims as “absurd.” Although officials suggested that the government was aware of the information in the charge, they did not state if the U.S. indictment would force India to reexamine the Nijjar case as well.
The high-level inquiry committee was established, according to the MEA, on November 18, this year—four days before the Financial Times of the United Kingdom broke its story claiming that the United States had “warned” India about “concerns” that the government “was involved in the plot.”
U.S. Look into “nexus”
The MEA stated that the United States had furthermore provided “inputs” on a “nexus between organized criminals, gun runners, terrorists, and others.” Which the government is looking into, but it did not expressly address the claims that government agents were engaged. A query on the identity of the “other” items was not answered by MEA representatives.
Since these inputs affect our national security interests as well, India takes them seriously. The appropriate authorities have already begun looking into the matter. In the statement that was made public on Wednesday, MEA spokeswoman Arindam Bagchi stated. Without naming the organization or individuals in charge of the “high-level enquiry,” it said. “Government of India will take necessary follow-up action based on the findings of the Enquiry Committee.”
Differing responses
In sharp contrast to the Canadian government’s allegations regarding Nijjar. Which resulted in the expulsion of two-thirds of the Canadian High Commission in India. The Indian government responded to the accusations made by the US government about Mr. Pannun by forming a high-level inquiry committee.
India’s High Commissioner in Ottawa however stated that the way the accusations were presented caused differences in India’s responses. While the American administration voiced its worries more subtly. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement in Parliament. High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma also stated that the Canadian inputs had “no specific or relevant information for [India] to look into.” Whereas the American inputs were “legally presentable” in an interview with Canadian TV this week.
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