The US is waiting for the results of India’s investigation into claims that an Indian official was involved in a plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist leader, in America.
Last November, US federal prosecutors charged Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, with working alongside an Indian government employee to try to kill Pannun in New York. Pannun, who is wanted in India for terror charges, holds citizenship in both the US and Canada.
Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic in June last year and was extradited to the US on June 14. The US is now keen to see the findings of India’s investigation.
“They (Indian officials) have announced that they are conducting an inquiry, and we will look forward to the results of that inquiry,” said State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller on Wednesday (26).
Miller was responding to a question about a letter from US senators to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, questioning the alleged involvement of the Indian government in an assassination attempt on a US citizen on American soil.
In response to these accusations, India set up a special committee to investigate the information provided by the US about the plot.
“We will respond to those members privately as we always do. I won’t speak to that here. But as pertains to the other issue, when this issue first arose, we made clear that we had raised it with the government of India and told them that we expected there to be a full investigation,” Miller added.
During a virtual media briefing on Wednesday (26) about his and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s visit to India last week, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said that the US has consistently pressed India for updates on the investigation and made clear that it seeks accountability.
“We have had constructive dialogue with India on this topic and I would say that they have been responsive to our concerns,” Campbell said. “We’ve made clear that we seek accountability from the Government of India and we have consistently asked for updates on the Indian committee of inquiry’s investigations,” he added.
“We raised this issue directly with the Indian government at the most senior levels between our two sides,” Campbell said, responding to a question about whether the ‘murder-for-hire’ plot targeting Pannun was discussed during meetings with Indian counterparts.
When asked about the Lok Sabha elections in India, Miller said, “When it comes to the Indian elections, we have been quite clear on behalf of the United States government that we celebrate what was the largest exercise of democracy in the history of the world. It was an extraordinary achievement. And when it comes to the outcome of the election, we obviously take no side. That’s a question for the people of India to decide.”
