A new geopolitical tension has been brewing after the United States of America (USA) alleged that it has thwarted an assassination attempt on Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil. Sikh For Justice Chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is declared a terrorist in India under the UAPA for issuing multiple threats against Indian diplomats, threats of carrying out terror attacks during World Cup 2023, and threats of bombing Air India. While the India-Canada relationship is already at an all-time low diplomatically, New Delhi and Washington seem to be coming face to face over the Khalistan issue.
For the unversed, federal prosecutors in the United States have accused an Indian government official of directing a plot to murder Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil. On Thursday, the US Justice Department brought charges against another Indian man, Nikhil Gupta, for his alleged role in the foiled killing plot. As per the US Dept of Justice, an Indian government employee, who was not named in the documents, recruited Nikhil Gupta to hire a local hitman to kill Gurpatwant Pannun.
Nikhil Gupta is facing murder-for-hire charges with a maximum sentence of 10 years. The Justice Department claimed that the Indian government employee, who has been marked as CC-1 in the documents, directed the assassination plot from India. US documents further stated that Nikhil Gupta is allegedly involved in international narcotics and weapons trafficking.
India's MEA during a press briefing said, "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 that this is also contrary to government policy."
Now, the question arises who is Nikhil Gupta, the man facing 10 years in prison for attempting to kill SFJ Chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun? Below is what we know so far-
Who is Nikhil Gupta?
As per documents submitted by the US Justice Department, Nikhil Gupta is an Indian national who is an associate of CC-1. CC-1 is Nikhil Gupta's handler whom the US belives is an Indian government employee. The US department has pointed out that Gupta has been involved in international narcotics and weapons trafficking. As per the US, Gupta had previously served in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
As per reports, Nikhil Gupta was recruited by CC-1 in or about May this year, to plot the assassination of Pannun in the US. The US Department in its documents says, "The Victim is a vocal critic of the Indian government and leads a US-based organization that advocates for the secession of Punjab…has publicly called for some or all of Punjab to secede from India and establish a Sikh sovereign state called Khalistan."
On CC-1 ‘s direction, Gupta contacted an individual, who he believed to be a criminal but was in fact working with US law enforcement to assist them in contracting a hitman to assassinate Pannun. The law enforcement agent then introduced Gupta to a hitman, who was a US government employee. The hitman hired for the job was an undercover US law enforcement officer.
CC-1 then agreed to the dealings brokered by Gupta to pay the latter $100,000 to murder the separatist. As per the arrangement, CC-1’s associate paid the latter $15,000 as an advance payment for the murder. After the deal was finalized in June, CC-1 provided Gupta with personal information about Pannun that included his home address, phone numbers, and day-to-day conduct, which was then passed on to the hired assassin.
What did India say about Pannun's assassination attempt?
MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi during a press briefing said, "...During the course of discussions with the US on bilateral security cooperation, the US side shared some inputs pertaining to nexus between organised criminals, gunrunners, terrorists, and other extremists. We take such inputs very seriously and a high-level inquiry committee has been constituted to look into all the relevant aspects of the matter."
"Necessary follow-up action will be taken based on the findings of the inquiry committee...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 that this is also contrary to government policy. The nexus between organised crime, trafficking, gunrunning an extremists at an international level is a serious issue for the law enforcement agencies and organisations to consider and it is for that reason that a high-level inquiry committee has been constituted and we will be guided by its results," added Arindam Bagchi.