US Calls Pannun 'Murder' Plot A 'Serious Issue', Partners With India For Justice

The United States on Wednesday said that it is collaborating with the Indian government to hold accountable those responsible for a plot to kill Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, as reported by news agency PTI.

During a Congressional hearing, assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia Donald Lu informed members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee about the seriousness of the issue.

"This is a serious issue between the United States and India. The Department of Justice has alleged that an Indian citizen, at the behest of someone working in the Indian government, attempted to kill an American citizen on American soil," Donald Lu stated. "We take this in the administration incredibly seriously and have raised it at the highest levels with India."

In November of last year, US prosecutors in New York unsealed an indictment charging Nikhil Gupta, 52, with collaborating with an Indian government employee in a thwarted scheme to assassinate Pannun, who holds both US and Canadian citizenship.

The prosecutors alleged that Nikhil Gupta, acting on the instructions of an unnamed Indian official, contacted a person whom he believed to be a criminal associate for help in killing Pannun on American soil.

India has already formed a probe committee to investigate the allegations. Pannun, a leader of the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), has been declared a terrorist by India.

Donald Lu stated that the Joe Biden administration is working with India to bring those responsible for the foiled plot to justice.

"We have seen that India has announced the creation of a committee of inquiry to look into this matter, and we urge them to work quickly and transparently to ensure justice is served," he said.

Donald Lu was responding to a question from Congressman Dean Phillips from Minnesota, who inquired about the possibility of sanctions similar to those imposed on more than 500 individuals in connection with the killing of Russia's Alexei Navalny being considered for those believed to be involved in the plot to kill Pannun.

The United States has remained silent on the matter as Pannun, the founder of Sikh For Justice (SFJ) who was designated a 'designated individual terrorist' by the Centre in 2020, has been issuing threats against India, targeting Indian politicians, diplomats, and intelligence officers.

The proscribed terrorist is not only instigating Khalistanis in the US and Canada but also radicalizing the Sikh community in Punjab ahead of the 2024 elections.