The Ministry of External Affairs has responded to the indictment filed by the US Justice Department against an Indian national for his alleged involvement in a foiled plot to assassinate US-based Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York.
The MEA said that it is a “matter of concern” and is contrary to government policy.
“We cannot share any further information on such security matters. As regards the case against an individual that has been filed in a US court allegedly linking him to an Indian official, this is a matter of concern. We have said and let me reiterate that this is contrary to government policy. The nexus between organised crime, trafficking and gun running and extremists at an international level is a serious issue for law enforcement agencies and organisations to consider and it is precisely for that reason that a high-level committee has been constituted and we will obviously be guided by its results” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
The MEA spokesperson said that the US side shared some inputs related to nexus between organised crimes, gun runners, terrorists and extremists and India takes these inputs “very seriously.”
“During the course of discussions with US on bilateral security cooperation, the US side shared some inputs pertaining to nexus between organised crimes, gun runners, terrorists and extremists. We take such inputs very seriously and high-level inquiry committee has been constituted to look into all the relevant aspects of the matter, and necessary follow-up action will be taken based on the findings of the inquiry committee. You would have seen this in our statements that we have issued” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
The US Justice Department has claimed that an Indian government employee (named CC-1), who was not identified in the indictment filed in a federal court in Manhattan, recruited an Indian national named Nikhil Gupta to hire a hitman to carry out the assassination, which was foiled by US authorities.
Gupta is currently in custody and has been charged with murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Czech authorities had arrested and detained Gupta on June 30, pursuant to the bilateral extradition treaty between the United States and the Czech Republic.
The US Justice Department claimed that Gupta, is an associate of CC-1, and has described his involvement in international narcotics and weapons trafficking in his communications with CC-1. The indictment claims CC -1 directed the assassination plot from India.
The US Justice Department claimed that in or about May 2023, CC-1 recruited Gupta to orchestrate the assassination of the activist in the United States. At CC-1’s direction, Gupta contacted an individual whom he believed to be a criminal associate, but who was in fact a confidential source working with the DEA. The source it is alleged introduced Gupta to a purported hitman, who was a DEA undercover officer.
The purported hitman was offered USD 100,000 to murder the Separatist leader, the Justice Department claims. The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Meanwhile responding to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s opportunistic dive into the matter, the Ministry of External Affairs said that Canada has consistently given space to anti-India extremists.
During a special press briefing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the UAE, the MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, while responding to a query, said that India expects the Canadian government to live up to its obligations under the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.
He said that India has seen interference from Canadian diplomats in India’s internal affairs and called it “unacceptable.”
“In so far as Canada is concerned, we have said that they have consistently given space to anti-India extremists and that is actually the heart of the issue. Our diplomatic representatives in Canada have borne the brunt of this. So, we expect the Government of Canada to live up to its obligations under the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations. We have also seen interference by Canadian diplomats in our internal affairs and that is unacceptable” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
On Wednesday (29th November), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had called on the Indian government to cooperate with Canada in the investigation of the killing of India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, CBC News reported.
Trudeau was quoted by CBC as saying that the news coming out of the US underscores the need for India to take the issue seriously.
Speaking to reporters, Trudeau said, “The news coming out of the United States further underscores what we’ve been talking about from the very beginning: which is India needs to take this seriously.” He said, “The Indian government needs to work with us to ensure that we’re getting to the bottom of this. This is not something that anyone can take lightly.”
Trudeau’s statement came after the United States Justice Department filed an indictment
The US Justice Department filed the indictment against the Indian national about two months after Trudeau made allegations about India’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Colombia’s Surrey in June. India had outrightly rejected the allegation, terming it “absurd and politically motivated.”
(With inputs from ANI)
