An Indian national is being prosecuted in the United States for having sponsored the planned murder in New York of a Sikh separatist leader, at the instigation of an agent of the government of his country, the American Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
This issue could poison India’s relations with the United States, as was the case for Canada after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s accusations against Indian intelligence services.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on this occasion in September that the United States was “extremely vigilant whenever there are allegations of transnational repression.”
He was referring to the phenomenon of authoritarian regimes projecting their control over their citizens outside their borders, which came to light with the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, and which is constantly expanding, according to the human rights defenders.
The US Department of Justice is not naming the alleged target in New York, but the Financial Times identified him last week as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a founding lawyer of the US organization Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) which claims Independent state for this minority in northern India.
The person concerned, designated as a “terrorist” by New Delhi in 2020 and wanted for “terrorism and sedition”, has himself confirmed this in interviews since.
Nikhil Gupta, 52, was indicted in New York for having ordered his murder, announced the US Department of Justice, specifying that he had been arrested on June 30 by Czech authorities under the extradition treaty between the two countries. He faces two charges, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
According to the indictment, an Indian government agent (identified only by initials) recruited Nikhil Gupta, a resident of India and involved in drug and arms trafficking, to murder “the victim”, offering him exchanges the dropping of criminal charges against him.
The defendant then contacted an individual he considered an accomplice “but who was in fact an informant for the American security services, to help him hire a hitman.” This individual introduced him to a so-called hitman, in reality an undercover American security agent, according to the same source.
The Indian government agent agreed to pay $100,000 to this alleged hitman during negotiations led by Nikhil Gupta, of which $15,000 was paid to him in advance on June 9, the ministry points out.
“No more waiting”
This announcement follows statements in September by Mr. Trudeau incriminating Indian intelligence services in the June 18 murder of another Sikh leader, Canadian of Indian origin, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which sparked a diplomatic row between the two country.
“Nijjar was close to the victim,” underlines the American Department of Justice.
Nikhil Gupta then told the alleged hitman that with the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar — who was “also a target” — there was “no longer any need to wait” to fulfill his “contract.” targeting the victim in New York, according to the same sources.
The US administration “takes this matter with the utmost seriousness and has raised it with the Indian government, including at the highest levels,” Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the US National Security Council, said last week. United.
“We have made it known that we expect anyone found responsible to be held accountable,” she stressed.
The Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that New Delhi had “formed a high-level commission of inquiry on November 18” after being informed by Washington of “connections between criminal organizations, arms traffickers, terrorists and others.”
“The Indian government will take necessary measures based on the findings of the commission of inquiry,” assured ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.