Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau
A US court has summoned the Indian government following a civil lawsuit by Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun who alleged a plot concocted to murder him. The summons was issued by the US District Court for Southern District of New York. It names the Indian government, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, former R&AW chief Samant Goel, R&AW agent Vikram Yadav, and Indian businessman Nikhil Gupta.
The summons also asks the Indian government to file a reply within 21 days.
The Centre is yet to respond to the summons.
Last year, UK newspaper Financial Times reported that the US had thwarted a plot to kill Pannun, who heads the radical outfit, Sikhs for Justice, and holds dual citizenship of the US and Canada. Officials in the Joe Biden administration also later confirmed this. The External Affairs Ministry, responding to the allegations, said India has launched a high-level probe.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar stressed that while India is investigating the matter, it would not impact the “upward trajectory” of India-US ties.
NIKHIL GUPTA CONNECTION
Nikhil Gupta has been accused of orchestrating the assassination attempt of Pannun. In June this year, he pleaded not guilty in a federal court, after he was extradited from the Czech Republic, where he was arrested last year.
US prosecutors have alleged that Gupta conspired with an Indian government official, identified in court documents as CC-1, to kill Pannun. CC-1 has been described as a “senior field officer” with an intelligence background. They alleged that Gupta was recruited in May 2023 to orchestrate the assassination.
According to court documents, Gupta is an Indian national who resides in India, is an associate of CC-1, and has described his involvement in international narcotics and weapons trafficking in his communications with CC-1 and others.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said this murder-for-hire plot was a brazen attempt to silence a political activist for exercising a quintessential American right – his freedom of speech.
