India in dock; after Canada, its US naming ex-RAW official to plan Pannun murder on American soil

The United States has charged a former RAW official, Vikash Yadav, for allegedly orchestrating a failed plot to assassinate Khalistan activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun residing in New York City.

The US Justice Department has charged the former Indian intelligence officer with murder-for-hire and money laundering.

“Today’s charges demonstrate that the Justice Department will not tolerate attempts to target and endanger Americans and to undermine the rights to which every US citizen is entitled,” US Attorney General Merrick B Garland said.

The plot reportedly began in May 2023, spearheaded by Yadav, then an employee of the Indian government. Yadav allegedly collaborated with individuals in India and abroad to orchestrate the assassination of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a designated terrorist in India.

Meanwhile, Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national accused of being recruited by Yadav, was arrested in Prague last June after travelling from India. Gupta has since been extradited to the US and pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit murder. The indictment details Yadav’s alleged plan, including hiring Gupta to “orchestrate the assassination of the victim in the United States.”

According to US officials, urgency surrounded the plot following the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another Sikh Khalistan activist, in Canada in 2023. Gupta believed that there was “now no need to wait” for Pannun’s assassination after Nijjar’s death.

The indictment reveals that Yadav and Gupta contracted an individual to carry out the assassination for $100,000, only to discover that the hired assassin was actually an FBI informant. Just days before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, the informant received a $15,000 advance for the murder in a car in New York, with photographic evidence included in the indictment.

Yadav reportedly instructed Gupta and the informant to postpone the killing until after PM Modi’s visit to prevent diplomatic fallout during the high-profile event. A message from Yadav to Gupta suggested the need for verification before proceeding with the assassination.

In response to the allegations, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that the individual named in the US Justice Department’s indictment is no longer affiliated with the Indian government.

“The US State Department informed us that the individual in the Justice Department indictment is no longer employed by India. I confirm that he is no longer an employee of the Government of India,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated.

US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller added that the Indian delegation had met with an inter-agency team from the FBI, Department of Justice, and State Department, highlighting ongoing cooperation in the investigation.

“They did inform us that the individual who was named in the Justice Department indictment is no longer an employee of the Indian government. We are satisfied with the cooperation,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

In September, a US court issued a summon to the Indian government regarding a civil suit filed by Pannun, alleging a plot to murder him. The Indian government responded, labelling the summons as “completely unwarranted.”

The summons named several parties, including the Government of India and India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, requiring a reply within 21 days.