5 lessons from US indictments in failed plot to kill Sikh activist
Federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged an Indian national with murder-for-hire charges against a Sikh separatist and activist in New York who is a U.S. citizen and has outspokenly called for a Sikh-majority homeland.
The assassination plot was orchestrated by an Indian government official and was linked to the June killing of a Sikh separatist in Canada, who was fatally shot by masked gunmen outside a Sikh temple, according to an indictment filed in federal court in New York.
Together, the charges announced in New York and the earlier assassination threaten to complicate relations between the United States, Canada and India and could undermine President Biden’s efforts to cultivate Indian leaders in an effort to counter the global influence of China and Russia , harm.
Here are five lessons from the foiled plot, as described by prosecutors.
The New York plot targeted a prominent Sikh separatist.
The indictment only identifies the person allegedly killed in the conspiracy as the “victim,” but U.S. officials said that was him. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the general counsel of the New York-based group Sikhs for Justice. Mr. Pannun is an outspoken supporter of independence for Punjab, a northern Indian state that is home to a large number of Sikhs.
Sikhs are a powerful minority group in India, and the goal of separatists like Mr. Pannun is the creation of a sovereign Sikh state known as Khalistan. Mr Pannun and Sikhs for Justice have been banned from India for their activism.
An Indian government official with “intelligence experience” was behind the plot.
The Indian official is not named in the indictment, but is said to have been “employed by the Indian government as a ‘senior field officer’ with ‘security management’ and ‘intelligence’ responsibilities.” The official also referred to his service in India’s Central Reserve Police Force and that they were trained in ‘combat craft’ and ‘weapons’.
The man accused in the plot had described trafficking in drugs and weapons.
Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, has been charged with murder for murder and conspiracy to commit murder for murder. He was recruited by the Indian official in May, the complaint said. An apparent selling point for landing the job was that he told the Indian official that he had experience as an international drug and weapons trafficker.
At the Indian official’s direction, the indictment says, Mr. Gupta contacted an individual he believed to be a criminal associate for help in hiring a killer. That individual turned out to be a confidential source for U.S. law enforcement authorities and introduced Mr. Gupta to a so-called “hitman” who was actually an undercover law enforcement officer.
In the transactions arranged by Mr. Gupta, the Indian official agreed to pay the undercover agent $100,000 to carry out the killing, the indictment said.
The plot in New York was linked to the murder of a Sikh activist in Canada.
On June 18, masked gunmen killed Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh activist and an associate of Mr. Pannun, outside a Sikh temple near Vancouver. Hours later, the indictment says, the Indian official sent Mr. Gupta a video clip showing Mr. Nijjar’s bloodied body slumped in his car. About an hour afterward, the official sent Mr. Gupta the target’s New York address.
The next day, according to the indictment, Mr. Gupta told the person he believed to be the assassin that Mr. Nijjar “was also targeted” and that “we have so many targets.” Given Mr. Nijjar’s killing, Mr. Gupta added, there was “no need to wait” to kill the target in New York.
The next day, the indictment says, the Indian official sent Mr. Gupta a news article and a message about the New York target, saying “it” was now a “priority.” Mr. Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 20 at the request of US authorities.
The plot in New York and the murder in Canada could have major geopolitical implications.
Despite growing concerns about India’s commitment to democracy, strengthening ties between Washington and New Delhi has been a key element of Mr. Biden’s foreign policy agenda as he looks to counterbalance power of Russia and China.
Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, has already accused the Indian government of involvement in Mr Nijjar’s murder. U.S. officials, who had learned of the plot to kill Mr. Pannun, expressed concern to Indian leaders about the planned killing days before the indictment against Mr. Gupta was announced.
“The Indian government was clear with us that they were taking this seriously and would conduct an investigation,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement on Wednesday.
In a statement on the Indian Foreign Ministry website, a spokesperson said the Indian government had formed a “high-level committee” “to investigate all relevant aspects of the matter.”