US Department of Justice Indicts Indian Citizen for Murder-for-Hire Plot Targeting US Citizen of Indian Origin Involved in Khalistan Movement

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Accident – Death – Obituary News : The US Department of Justice has recently announced the filing of “murder-for-hire” charges against Nikhil Gupta, an Indian citizen, alleging that he was recruited by an unnamed Indian government official to orchestrate the assassination of a US citizen of Indian origin involved in the Khalistan movement. Gupta, who is said to be involved in drug and arms trafficking, was arrested in Prague and extradited to the US. The indictment comes after the killing of a prominent Indo-Canadian proponent of Khalistan, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Vancouver last June. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian state operatives of being responsible for Nijjar’s murder, leading to a diplomatic spat between India and Canada. The US indictment suggests that the Indian government official targeted a series of North American-based Khalistan movement leaders for assassination. The Biden administration is downplaying the indictment’s impact on Indo-US relations and is accepting India’s explanation of the matter. The Indian media is attempting to attribute the assassination plot to a “rogue” element in India’s foreign intelligence agency, RAW. The US indictment states that an Indian government employee, referred to as “CC-1,” planned a plot to assassinate a US citizen of Indian origin in New York City. The Indian official allegedly promised Gupta that his criminal cases in India would be dropped if he carried out the assassination. The Indian government has labeled the target of the assassination plot, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, and other referendum organizers as “terrorists” without providing evidence. The Khalistan movement, a Sikh separatist movement, has little support among the Sikh masses in India today but continues to be promoted overseas, particularly in the US and Canada. The US indictment suggests that the Modi government believes it can act with impunity in suppressing and eliminating political opponents it deems “terrorists.” The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York has stated that the US will not tolerate efforts to assassinate US citizens on US soil. However, critics argue that the US has shown a disregard for international law in its own use of state violence, such as drone strikes and targeted assassinations. The Modi government’s adoption of state terror methods employed by the US and Israel should come as no surprise, given its ruling methods and use of anti-terrorism legislation..