Fri Oct 18 14:50:05 UTC 2024: ## Indian Government Official Charged with Plot to Assassinate Khalistani Leader in US
**New York, NY** – The US Justice Department has charged Vikash Yadav, a former Indian government employee, with orchestrating a failed assassination plot targeting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Khalistani leader based in the US. Yadav, a 39-year-old former employee of India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which includes the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), is accused of directing the plot from India.
The charges, announced in a second superseding indictment, reveal that Yadav, identified as “CC-1” in the first indictment, allegedly recruited Indian national Nikhil Gupta to carry out the assassination. Yadav provided Gupta with details about Pannun’s location, phone numbers, and daily activities.
The alleged plot was discovered when Gupta, who was extradited from the Czech Republic to the US, was arrested in June 2023. The indictment states that Gupta admitted to targeting Pannun and that he believed Pannun was a “vocal critic of the government of India and leads a US-based organization that advocates for the secession of Punjab.”
The incident comes amid heightened tensions between India and Canada over the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. The US indictment claims that after Nijjar’s death, Gupta stated that “we have so many targets.”
Yadav is now on the FBI’s wanted list, facing charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and money laundering conspiracy. The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, emphasized that “the right to exercise free speech is foundational to our democracy.”
The FBI Director, Christopher A. Wray, stated that “the FBI will not tolerate acts of violence or other efforts to retaliate against those residing in the US for exercising their constitutionally protected rights.”
India has acknowledged the allegations and formed a high-level inquiry committee to investigate the matter. The committee briefed US law enforcement officials on their findings this week. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that Yadav is no longer an employee of the Indian government.
The whereabouts of Yadav remain unknown, and his future remains uncertain as he faces US charges. The incident highlights the potential for transnational repression and raises concerns about the safety of individuals critical of foreign governments within the US.
First Piper 