Former Indian Spy Involved in Plot to Kill Pannun: U.S. Justice Department
Former Indian Spy Involved in Plot to Kill Pannun: U.S. Justice Department
Although the U.S. agencies foiled the attempt to kill Pannun, the conspiracy to kill him was accelerated after the assassination of another Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Canada in 2023.
By Rakesh Raman
The U.S. Justice Department has charged a former officer of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) with murder-for-hire and money laundering crimes in the case of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Pannun – who carries a dual citizenship of the U.S. and Canada – supports the demand for Khalistan, a separate Sikh homeland in the Indian state of Punjab. Currently, Pannun lives in New York City.
In its report of today (October 18), NDTV quotes Reuters to reveal that the plot to kill Pannun began in May 2023 when the former RAW officer – who was then an employee of the Indian government – allegedly collaborated with individuals in India and overseas to execute the assassination.
Reuters reports that the ex-officer remains in India, but American officials are expected to demand his extradition to face charges in the U.S. He is accused of hiring another Indian, Nikhil Gupta, to execute the assassination. However, Gupta was arrested in Prague last June and extradited to the U.S. to face prosecution.
Although the U.S. agencies foiled the attempt to kill Pannun, the conspiracy to kill him was accelerated after the assassination of another Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Canada in 2023.
The prime minister (PM) of Canada Justin Trudeau has been repeatedly saying that the Government of India has not been cooperating in investigating the murder of Nijjar.
In a live-streamed press conference on October 15, Trudeau said that the Indian government of PM Narendra Modi has been trying to deny, obfuscate, and obstruct the criminal investigation being carried out by Canadian agencies.
[ Also Read: Nijjar Murder Case: Canada Says India Refuses to Cooperate in Probe ]
The Modi government is accused of committing transnational repression crimes to kill the citizens of the U.S. and Canada in those countries.
In order to stop the transnational repression crimes of the Modi regime in the U.S., Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) in September 2024 introduced the bipartisan Transnational Repression Reporting Act of 2024.
In the Pannun case, a U.S. court has also summoned various officials in the Modi government for the alleged plot to kill Pannun.
Meanwhile, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has again recommended a harsh penalty on India for continuous attacks on religious minorities in India and abroad.
Referring to the Nijjar and Pannun cases, USCIRF says that the Indian authorities are increasingly engaged in acts of transnational repression targeting religious minorities abroad.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.
