A former official of Indian intelligence has been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly orchestrating a failed assassination attempt on an American citizen in New York City, who is a prominent figure in the movement for an independent Sikh homeland. The indictment, which was unveiled in a federal court in Manhattan, names Vikash Yadav as having direct ties to the Indian government in what prosecutors describe as a planned murder-for-hire on U.S. soil.
The charges were initially announced the previous year when the Justice Department indicted Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national accused of drug and weapons trafficking. Gupta’s indictment referred to an unnamed Indian government official who purportedly directed the assassination plot. With the recent unsealing of the indictment, Yadav has been identified as this official, and he now stands as a co-defendant alongside Gupta in the case. Both Yadav and Gupta face charges of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, actual murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Gupta, apprehended last year and extradited from the Czech Republic, has pleaded not guilty. Yadav, however, remains at large according to U.S. authorities.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated that the Justice Department is committed to holding accountable anyone, irrespective of their position or proximity to power, who threatens to harm or silence American citizens.
The intended victim of the alleged plot was Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen, lawyer, and activist who serves as the general counsel of Sikhs for Justice, advocating for the establishment of a Sikh state in northern India. Pannun has expressed approval of the charges against Yadav, viewing it as the U.S. government’s reaffirmation of its constitutional duty to protect the freedoms and safety of its citizens, both domestically and internationally.
The alleged assassination attempt on Pannun occurred concurrently with another incident where Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader and associate of Pannun, was killed in Canada. In connection with Nijjar’s death, Canadian authorities have arrested four Indian nationals and have implicated India’s top diplomat in Canada along with five other Indian diplomats as persons of interest in the investigation, leading to their expulsion from the country. Canadian officials have also accused Indian diplomats of participating in a broader campaign against Canadian citizens.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that Canada will not tolerate foreign government involvement in threatening or harming Canadian citizens on its soil. Meanwhile, the accusations have been denied by India.
These developments, including Nijjar’s assassination and the alleged plot against Pannun, have prompted concerns about India’s activities abroad and have complicated diplomatic relations between the U.S. and India. The Biden administration regards India as a key counterbalance to China. Following the U.S. announcement last year that it had thwarted the assassination attempt on Pannun, India initiated an internal investigation into the matter, which has been met with skepticism in Washington.
Currently, Indian officials engaged in the inquiry are holding meetings in the U.S. with their American counterparts to discuss the ongoing investigations. A State Department spokesperson has described these talks as “productive.”
