US Govt charges an Indian for trying ‘to kill a Khalistani separatist’ under the direction of an ‘Indian Government employee’

The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) has charged an Indian national for his alleged involvement in an assassination plot to eliminate a US-based separatist leader. The information was issued in an official statement on November 29.

“Today in the Southern District of New York, a superseding indictment was unsealed alleging murder-for-hire charges against Indian national Nikhil Gupta, aka Nick, 52, in connection with his participation in a foiled plot to assassinate a US citizen in New York City,” the statement said.

“Earlier this year, an Indian government employee, working together with others, including Gupta, in India and elsewhere, directed a plot to assassinate on US soil an attorney and political activist who is a US citizen of Indian origin residing in New York City.”

According to DoJ, Gupta was working at the behest of an Indian Government official who wasn’t named in the statement but rather identified as CC-1. The allegations were contained in an indictment unsealed on Wednesday.

“CC-1 is an Indian government agency employee who has variously described himself as a ‘Senior Field Officer’ with responsibilities in ‘Security Management’ and ‘Intelligence,’ and who also has referenced previously serving in India’s Central Reserve Police Force and receiving ‘officer training’ in ‘battle-craft’ and ‘weapons’,” the DoJ statement said.

Foiled Plot

In startling revelations, the DoJ statement claimed that Gupta as per the direction of CC-1 had contacted an individual perceiving him with criminal antecedents for the murder plot. But that perceived hit-man was “a confidential source working with the US law enforcement”. Later this source introduced Gupta to a “purported hitman”, who too was an undercover law enforcement officer in the US. The deal was for $100,000 and advance payments were allegedly made. “CC-1 provided Gupta with personal information about the Victim, including the Victim’s home address in New York City, phone numbers associated with the Victim, and details about the Victim’s day-to-day conduct,” which according to DoJ statement, Gupta had then passed on to the undercover officer.

Murder target?

The DoJ statement hasn’t revealed the name of the target but has left indications enough for people to understand. The ‘target’ was referred to as the victim in the DoJ statement.

According to the statement, the target was a New York-based attorney who is “a vocal critic of the Indian government and leads a US-based organisation that advocates for the secession of Punjab…the Indian government has banned the Victim and his separatist organization from India.” The target is thus suspected to be Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen who is general counsel for Sikhs for Justice, and had been spearheading the separatist ideas for the creation of an independent Sikh state called “Khalistan”.

This comes months after India engaged in a showdown with Canada after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in September had claimed that there were "credible allegations" of India’s government involvement with the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh leader, in a Vancouver suburb. "The Indian government needs to work with us to ensure that we’re getting to the bottom of this. This is not something that anyone can take lightly," Trudeau said after The US indictment was unsealed.

India has constituted a high-level probe committee to probe "all relevant aspects of the matter".