WASHINGTON: US officials have informed their Indian counterparts that they seek a swift resolution and greater accountability regarding their investigation into Indian involvement in a foiled murder plot against a Sikh activist in the United States, according to a US official.
Last week, an Indian inquiry committee visited Washington to discuss India’s own investigations following allegations from the Justice Department that an Indian intelligence official had directed plans to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual US-Canada citizen and Sikh separatist, last year.
“We’ve made it very clear that the US government won’t be fully satisfied until meaningful accountability occurs,” said a US official who requested anonymity. “We hope that India will expedite its investigative process.”
The Indian embassy in Washington has not yet responded to requests for comment. This message from Washington to Indian officials has not been previously reported.
An unsealed indictment last week revealed that the United States has charged Vikash Yadav, identified as a former officer in India’s Research and Analysis Wing, with orchestrating the plot against Pannun in New York City.
The indictment alleges that starting in May 2023, Yadav, who was working for the Indian government at the time, collaborated with others both in India and abroad to direct the assassination plot against Pannun.
These accusations have strained relations between Washington and New Delhi, which the Biden administration views as a crucial counterbalance to China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region. “India remains an incredibly important and valuable strategic partner,” the US official stated. “We must also have trust and the ability to navigate challenging issues like this transparently.”
India has labeled Sikh separatists as “terrorists” and a threat to its national security. These separatists advocate for an independent homeland known as Khalistan, which would be carved from India. An insurgency in India during the 1980s and 1990s resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands.
Pannun, the Sikh separatist, has claimed that Yadav was a “mid-tier soldier” tasked with organizing the assassination by higher-ranking Indian officials.
Since announcing in November 2023 that it would formally investigate the allegations, India has remained relatively silent publicly and continues to engage in a diplomatic dispute with Canada over the June 2023 assassination of another Sikh leader.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated in September that his country’s intelligence agency is pursuing credible allegations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government was involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh separatist.
India has denied any involvement in both incidents.