US charges ex-India agent in Sikh separatist murder plot

The United States has charged a former Indian intelligence officer for allegedly directing a foiled plot to assassinate an American citizen who advocates for Khalistan – an independent Sikh state that would be carved out of India.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said on Thursday that it had registered “murder-for-hire and money laundering charges” against Vikash Yadav for trying to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

The indictment of Yadav, for the first time, implicates the Indian government directly in the attempted assassination of a dissident.

The Indian government has said it is co-operating with the ongoing investigation in the US. It has not responded to the specific charges against Mr Yadav yet.

The development comes after Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national also charged in the case, was extradited to the US from a prison in Prague earlier this year.

The FBI has accused Indian agents of involvement in an assassination attempt on Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen, saying Pannun was targeted for exercising his “First Amendment rights” to free speech.

“The FBI will not tolerate acts of violence or other efforts to retaliate against those residing in the U.S. for exercising their constitutionally protected rights,” said FBI director Christopher Wray in a statement.

India has labelled Pannun a terrorist, though he denies the allegation, claiming to be an activist advocating for Khalistan.

According to the US indictment, Yadav was the mastermind behind the plot to murder Pannun and he recruited Gupta in May 2023 to orchestrate the assassination in exchange for getting a case against him in India dismissed.

“In or about June 2023, in furtherance of the assassination plot, Yadav 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,” the indictment states.

On Thursday, India’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, stated that the individual referred to as “CC-1” in the US Justice Department’s indictment is no longer employed by the Indian government.

However, he did not provide a specific name, leaving it unclear whether he was referring to Yadav, who is widely speculated to be the same person.

In response to Yadav’s indictment, Pannun said the attempt on his life on American soil was a “blatant case of India’s transnational terrorism, which has become a challenge to America’s sovereignty and threat to freedom of speech and democracy.”

Yadav’s indictment comes days after the Canadian police and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Indian agents were involved in the killing of Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, setting off a new row that led to both countries expelling diplomats.

India has rejected the allegations as “preposterous”, accusing Trudeau of pandering to Canada’s large Sikh community for political gain.

Earlier this week, the US State Department urged India to co-operate in Canada’s investigation.

The indictment describes Yadav as a “citizen and resident of India”. He has also been referred to as Vikas and Amanat.

It states that he was part of the Government of India’s cabinet secretariat, under which the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) – the country’s top intelligence agency – operates. RAW falls under the authority of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

The indictment further states that Yadav had described his position as “Senior Field Officer” with responsibilities in “security management” and “intelligence”.

It adds that he has also served in India’s paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and had received training in “battle craft and weapons”.

The Washington Post reported that Yadav is still in India and that the US is expected to seek his extradition, citing US official sources.

The US State Department has said that it was satisfied with India’s co-operation in the investigation of the alleged murder plot.

Meanwhile, India’s relationship with Canada continues to deteriorate with both Delhi and Ottawa firing a salvo of accusations against each other.

Mr Jaiswal said on Thursday that India had repeatedly asked Canada to extradite individuals believed to be part of the group of jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, but had received no response.

The Canadian police have alleged that agents of the Indian government were using members of Bishnoi’s gang to carry out “homicides, extortion and violent acts” and target supporters of the pro-Khalistan movement. India has denied the allegation saying that Canada has not provided any evidence regarding them.

India’s accusations came in response to Mr Trudeau’s claims that India had made a “massive mistake” if it was behind the death of a Sikh separatist leader on Canadian soil.