Pannu And Vikash Yadav

Efforts to hold the Indian government accountable for an act of violence on US soil have intensified after US authorities indicted a senior official from India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for orchestrating a failed assassination attempt against Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York City last year.

Vikash Yadav, an officer in IndiaтАЩs foreign intelligence agency, was named in a new indictment by US federal prosecutors on Thursday. He faces charges of money laundering, conspiracy, and leading a murder-for-hire plot targeting Pannun, a dual US and Canadian citizen. Pannun serves as the general counsel for the New York-based group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which is campaigning for a Khalistan Referendum to create an independent Sikh state from India’s Punjab region.

YadavтАЩs co-conspirator, Nikhil Gupta, was previously arrested, extradited to the US, and is now in a Brooklyn jail. However, Yadav remains at large in India, and the US has formally requested his extradition to face charges. The indictment alleges that starting in May 2023, Yadav, acting as an Indian government employee, coordinated the plot to assassinate Pannun.

Reacting to the indictment, Pannun stated that by charging Yadav, the US government was reaffirming its commitment to protect the rights and safety of its citizens, even when threatened by foreign actors. He further accused the Modi government of attempting to violently suppress the Khalistan Referendum campaign, which aims to resolve Punjab’s secession through democratic means. Pannun pointed out that India’s actions represent a form of transnational terrorism, with the assassination attempt on US soil posing a challenge to American sovereignty and a threat to freedom of speech.

Pannun vowed to continue his advocacy for the Khalistan Referendum, despite these attempts on his life, with plans to organize the next phase of voting in New Zealand in November 2024.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland echoed these concerns, stating that the Department of Justice would relentlessly pursue accountability for those involved in the plot, regardless of their position or power. Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen described the indictment as a serious example of the growing threat of violent transnational repression targeting diaspora communities in the US.

The confrontation between the US and India over the attempted assassination comes in the wake of similar tensions between Canada and India. In 2023, masked gunmen killed Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader, in British Columbia. CanadaтАЩs Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, accused the Indian government of orchestrating the murder and violating Canada’s sovereignty by targeting Sikh dissidents. Trudeau described IndiaтАЩs actions as a “horrific mistake” and a systematic campaign against dissidents within Canada.

The US Justice Department has linked the plots against both Nijjar and Pannun, with Gupta allegedly suggesting that following NijjarтАЩs assassination, the hit on Pannun should proceed without delay. However, US authorities successfully foiled the plot.

As the US continues its investigation, frustration has reportedly grown within the Biden administration over IndiaтАЩs lack of a credible internal investigation into these incidents, with concerns that India’s inquiry could be a whitewash. Despite the diplomatic tensions, US officials have made it clear that targeting anyone for extrajudicial killings on American soil is unacceptable and that those responsible will be held accountable.

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