US charges former Indian agent with conspiracy to kill Sikh separatists

The United States has indicted a former intelligence officer in India for allegedly masterminding a foiled plot to assassinate an American citizen representing Khalistan – an independent Sikh state to be carved out of India.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said Thursday it has filed “murder for hire and money laundering” charges against Vikash Yadav for attempting to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

I impeachment of Yadav, for the first time, directly implicates the Indian government in an attempt to assassinate a dissident.

The Indian government said it was cooperating with the ongoing investigation in the US. It has not yet responded to certain charges leveled against Mr Yadav.

This happened after Mr. Nikhil Gupta, who is of Indian origin, was also charged in this case he was sent to the US prison in Prague earlier this year.

The FBI has accused Indian agents of involvement in the assassination attempt on Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen, saying Pannun was targeted for exercising his “First Amendment rights” to free speech.

“The FBI will not tolerate acts of violence or other attempts to retaliate against those who live in the US for exercising their constitutionally protected rights,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.

India has called Pannun a terrorist, although he denies the allegations, saying he is an activist who represents Khalistan.

According to the US indictment, Yadav was the mastermind of the plot to kill Pannun and hired the Guptas in May 2023 to arrange his assassination to get the case against him in India dropped.

“On or about June 2023, in furtherance of the murder conspiracy, Yadav provided the Guptas with personal information about the victim, including the victim’s home address in New York City, phone numbers associated with the victim, and information about the victim’s day-to-day behavior,” the indictment said.

On Thursday, the spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, said that the person named “CC-1” in the US Department of Justice’s case is no longer employed by the Indian government.

However, he did not give a specific name, leaving it unclear whether he was referring to Yadav, who is widely believed to be the same person.

Responding to Yadav’s case, Pannun said that the attempt on his life on American soil is “a clear case of Indian international terrorism, which has become a challenge to American sovereignty and a threat to freedom of speech and democracy.”

Yadav’s indictment comes days after Canadian police and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau he suspects that Indian agents are involved the killing of the Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, started a conflict that led both countries to expel diplomats.

India has denied the allegations as “absurd”, accusing Trudeau of conniving with Canada’s large Sikh community for political gain.

Earlier this week, the US State Department urged India to cooperate with Canada’s investigation.

The lawsuit describes Yadav as a “citizen and citizen of India”. He is also called Vikas and Amanat.

It says he was part of the Indian Government’s cabinet secretariat, under which the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) – the country’s top intelligence agency – operates. RAW falls under the Prime Minister’s office (PMO).

The indictment also states that Yadav described his position as “Senior Field Officer” responsible for “security management” and “intelligence”.

It added that he had also served in India’s Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and had received training in “anti-armor operations”.

The Washington Post reported that Yadav is in India and that the US is expected to seek his extradition, citing official US sources.

The US State Department said it was satisfied with India’s cooperation in the investigation into the alleged assassination plot.

Meanwhile, India-Canada relations continue to deteriorate as Delhi and Ottawa fire at each other with a barrage of accusations.

Mr Jaiswal said on Thursday that India had repeatedly asked Canada to extradite people believed to be part of the group. arrested Indian criminal Lawrence Bishnoibut he did not get an answer.

Canadian police allege that Indian government agents have been using members of the Bishnoi gang to commit “murders, robberies and acts of violence” and to target supporters of the pro-Khalistan movement. India has denied the allegations saying that Canada has not provided any evidence about them.

India’s accusations responded to Mr. Trudeau’s accusations that India had made a “big mistake” if it was responsible for the death of a Sikh leader who divided Canadian soil.