The United States had reportedly thwarted an attempt to assassinate Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun: In the latest development in the case of the alleged plot to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil, the American and Indian security officials have finally, in conclusion, named a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent who allegedly hatched the plan to eliminate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil. The Washington Post cited officials and a US indictment to claim that it was RAW officer Vikram Yadav who had “forwarded details about the target”, Pannun, including his New York address.
“As soon as the would-be assassins could confirm that Pannun was home, it will be a go-ahead from us,” said the officials as per The Washington Post’s investigative report adding that as per US intelligence agencies, the operation targeting Pannun was approved by the RAW chief at the time, Samant Goel.
“That finding is consistent with accounts provided to The Washington Post by former senior Indian security officials who had knowledge of the operation and said Goel was under extreme pressure to eliminate the alleged threat of Sikh extremists overseas,” the report said.
The report further says that the list of Indian officials allegedly involved in the plot doesn’t end there as it further said that US spy agencies “have more tentatively assessed” that India’s National Security adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval “was probably aware of RAW’s plans to kill Sikh activists, but officials emphasized that no smoking gun proof has emerged”.
Neither Ajit Doval nor Samant Goel responded to calls and text messages seeking comment, said The Washington Post.
The report added that this “examination of Indian assassination plots in North America” is based on “interviews with more than three dozen current and former senior officials in the United States, India, Canada, Britain, Germany and Australia.”
The report restated that RAW officer Vikram Yadav’s identity and affiliation “provide the most explicit evidence to date that the assassination plan was directed from within the Indian spy service” as it cited current and former Western security officials as saying that “higher-ranking RAW officials have also been implicated”.
The United States had reportedly thwarted an attempt to assassinate Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil. India had then reacted to these claims, saying that it had taken the inputs ‘very seriously’ and that an investigation into the matter had already begun.
The alleged plot to kill Pannun in the US coincided with the June 18 shooting of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey in Canada’s British Columbia province in June last year. That operation was also linked to Yadav, according to Western officials.
Notably, in November last year, a Financial Times report said the USA had foiled an assassination plot against Pannun. Later, in the same month, American authorities charged an Indian citizen, Nikhil Gupta, for his alleged role in the purported plot to assassinate the Khalistani terrorist.
The US Department of State had in the first week of April reiterated its commitment to conduct a full investigation into the alleged foiled assassination plot against India-designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and said that they have made it clear to the Indian government to do the same.
(With agency inputs)