Vikram Yadav, an officer of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), purportedly masterminded the failed assassination plot targeting Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil, according to a report by the Washington Post. The report alleges that Yadav organized a ‘hit team’ to execute the operation, identifying Pannun as a ‘priority’ target.
Unnamed former US and Indian security officials cited in the report revealed that Yadav provided Pannun’s contact details, including his New York address, to the potential assassins. The plan was to proceed once the assassins confirmed Pannun’s presence at home, as he is a US citizen.
India has refuted the accusations made by the US, labelling the supposed conspiracy against Pannun as inconsistent with official policy. In response to the US allegations, the Indian government initiated a high-level inquiry committee in November 2023 to investigate the allegations of a murder plot.
While India has not officially commented on the outcome of the probe, Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar stated on April 1, 2024, that investigations are ongoing due to the involvement of national security interests. He refrained from providing specific details about the inquiry but assured that updates would be shared when available.
In March, following the investigation into the US claims, an intelligence operative was reportedly removed from his position, and several others were reassigned. Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed senior officials, that the high-level committee concluded that “rogue operatives not authorized by the government had been involved in the plot.”
These revelations emerge amidst previous US allegations that India was behind a thwarted assassination attempt on Pannun in November 2022, as reported by the Financial Times. The US had issued a warning to New Delhi and sought a response. Additionally, an indictment filed in a Manhattan court implicated Nikhil Gupta, accusing him of colluding with an Indian government official to orchestrate Pannun’s assassination. Gupta, aged 52, was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30, 2023, based on charges from the US Justice Department. The indictment outlined Gupta’s agreement to pay $100,000 for Pannun’s assassination, with an initial payment of $15,000 made on June 9, 2023.
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