US prosecutors have filed charges against an Indian individual, accusing him of conspiring to murder at least four Sikh separatists in North America. The indictment draws connections to the recent killing of a Canadian citizen, prompting inquiries into the information possessed by US agents leading up to the incident.
Disclosed in an unsealed indictment on Wednesday, the alleged conversations detail an elaborate scheme orchestrated by the accused, Mr. Gupta, to carry out the assassination of a dual US-Canadian citizen in New York. The plot, reportedly orchestrated by an Indian government employee, involved a hitman in New York who, unbeknownst to Mr. Gupta, was an undercover agent. While the intended target wasn’t explicitly named, media reports identified him as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen associated with a US-based Sikh separatist group.
Although this specific plot was foiled, the charging document sheds light on another successful attack – the fatal shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. These revelations raise fresh questions about the Canadian murder, including who had knowledge of the events and when.
The assassination plot, seemingly linked to a broader movement advocating for a Sikh state independent of India, left Canadians shocked. In September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asserted “credible allegations” of Indian involvement, a claim India dismissed as “absurd,” further straining relations between the two nations. The recent US charges, according to experts, lend weight to Trudeau’s allegations.
It has emerged that the White House was informed of the US investigation into the murder-for-hire plot weeks before Trudeau publicly addressed it after the G20 summit in India. President Joe Biden reportedly raised concerns with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the same global meeting.
The accused, Mr. Gupta, was purportedly engaged in international narcotics and weapons trafficking before being recruited in May 2023 by an Indian government official for the assassination plot. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, associated with the victim Nijjar, serves as the general counsel for Sikhs for Justice, an organization supporting the Khalistan movement advocating for an independent Sikh homeland.
While Canada’s response to the murder had initially seen a relatively muted reaction from its closest ally, the US, Wednesday’s revelations have bolstered Trudeau’s claims. The White House has confirmed raising the alleged plot with the Indian government at the highest levels, with Indian officials expressing surprise and concern and launching an investigation into the security concerns raised by the US. As diplomatic fallout is anticipated, these developments have already provided validation to Canadian Sikhs, according to Gurpreet Singh, a Sikh journalist and radio host based in British Columbia.
