An Indian national is being prosecuted in the United States for ordering the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in New York at the instigation of an agent of his country's government, the US Department of Justice announced on Wednesday (November 29th).
The issue could poison India's relations with the U.S., as it did for Canada after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made accusations against Indian intelligence.
'Terrorism and sedition'
Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned in September that the United States is "extremely vigilant whenever there are allegations of transnational repression." He was referring to the phenomenon of authoritarian regimes projecting their control over their citizens beyond their borders, which came to light with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, and is constantly expanding, according to human rights defenders.
The U.S. Department of Justice does not name the alleged target in New York, but the Financial Times identified her last week as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a lawyer and founder of the U.S.-based organization Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), which advocates for an independent state for the minority in northern India. The man, designated as a "terrorist" by New Delhi in 2020 and wanted for "terrorism and sedition", has himself confirmed this in interviews since then.
Nikhil Gupta, 52, has been charged in New York with ordering murder, the U.S. Justice Department said, adding that he was 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 to drop criminal charges against him in exchange.
The defendant then contacted an individual he considered an accomplice "but who was in fact an informant for the U.S. security services, to help him hire a hitman." This individual introduced him to a so-called hitman, who was actually an undercover U.S. security agent, according to the same source. The Indian government agent agreed to pay $100,000 to the alleged hitman in negotiations led by Nikhil Gupta, of which $15,000 was paid to him in advance on June 9, the ministry said.
'No more waiting'
The announcement follows Trudeau's statements in September blaming Indian intelligence for the June 18 killing of another Indian-Canadian Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which sparked a diplomatic row between the two countries. "Nijjar was a relative of the victim," the U.S. Department of Justice said. Nikhil Gupta then told the alleged hitman that with the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar - who was "also a target" - there was now "no need to wait" to execute his "contract" aimed at the victim in New York, according to the same sources.
The U.S. administration "takes this matter very seriously and has raised it with the Indian government, including at the highest level," Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the U.S. National Security Council, said last week. "We have made it clear that we expect anyone found responsible to be held accountable," she said. India's foreign ministry 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 the necessary measures based on the findings of the commission of inquiry," ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said.