US charges Indian national in Sikh separatist murder plot 1 hour ago Cherylann Mollan BBC News, Mumbai The United States has charged a former Indian intelligence officer for allegedly directing a foiled plot to assassinate an American citizen who advocates for Khalistan – an independent Sikh state carved out of India.
The indictment of Yadav, for the first time, implicates the Indian government directly in the attempted assassination of a dissident.
India has labeled Pannun a terrorist, though he denies the allegation, claiming to be an activist advocating for Khalistan.
India has rejected the allegations as “preposterous”, accusing Trudeau of pandering to Canada’s large Sikh community for political gain.
The US State Department has said that it was satisfied with India’s co-operation in the investigation of the alleged murder plot.
The US accuses an Indian national of being involved in a Sikh separatist murderous scheme.
An hour back.
Mollan Cherylann.
Mumbai’s BBC News.
A former Indian intelligence officer is accused by the US of masterminding an abortive attempt to kill an American citizen who supports Khalistan, an independent Sikh state split off from India.
Vikash Yadav was charged with “murder-for-hire and money laundering” on Thursday by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, following his attempt to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
For the first time, the attempted assassination of a dissident is directly linked to the Indian government thanks to Yadav’s lawsuit.
According to their statement, the Indian government is assisting the US in its ongoing investigation. It still hasn’t answered to the specific accusations made against Yadav.
An additional Indian national charged in the case, Nikhil Gupta, was extradited to the United States earlier this year from a Prague jail.
Washington has claimed that Pannun, a dual citizen of the US and Canada, was the target of an assassination attempt by Indian agents. Pannun has been designated as a terrorist by India, but he disputes the accusation and says he is a Khalistan-supporting activist.
The person listed as “CC-1” in the US Justice Department’s indictment is no longer employed by the Indian government, according to a statement made on Thursday by Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson for India’s foreign ministry. He did not, however, give a name, so it is unclear if he was referring to Yadav, who is thought to be the same person.
The indictment claims that Yadav was the mastermind behind the plan to kill Pannun, and that in May 2023, he enlisted Gupta to help plan the assassination in return for having an Indian case against him dropped.
“In or around June 2023, Yadav gave Gupta personal information about the victim, including the victim’s home address in New York City, phone numbers connected to the victim, and specifics about the victim’s daily behavior, in furtherance of the assassination plot,” the indictment claims.
Yadav’s indictment follows days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that Indian agents killed Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, igniting a fresh controversy that resulted in the expulsion of diplomats from both nations.
Claiming that Trudeau was using the sizeable Sikh community in Canada as a political pawn, India dismissed the accusations as “preposterous.”.
Vikash Yadav is a person who?
Yadav is identified as a “resident and citizen of India” in the indictment. Other names for him are Vikas and Amanat.
According to the report, he worked for the cabinet secretariat of the Indian government, which is in charge of the nation’s main intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has jurisdiction over RAW.
In addition, the indictment claims that Yadav declared himself to be a “Senior Field Officer” with duties related to “intelligence” and “security management.”.
It further states that he was trained in “battle craft and weapons” while serving in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), an Indian paramilitary force.
According to statements made by the US State Department, India’s assistance with the inquiry into the purported murderous scheme met its standards.
As a result of accusations leveled at one another by both Ottawa and Delhi, India’s relationship with Canada is rapidly deteriorating.
On Thursday, Mr. Jaiswal stated that India had contacted Canada on several occasions to request the extradition of people thought to be a part of the group led by imprisoned Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, but had not heard back.
Bishnoi’s gang members are allegedly being used by Indian government operatives to carry out “homicides, extortion and violent acts” against pro-Khalistan activists, according to accusations made by Canadian police. India has refuted the claim, claiming that Canada hasn’t offered any supporting documentation.
India’s accusations were in reaction to Mr. Trudeau’s assertions that, if India was responsible for the death of a Sikh separatist leader on Canadian soil, it had made a “massive mistake.”.
