Working with India in the case of conspiracy to murder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun: Biden administration – Dainik Savera Times

Washington: The United States is working with the Indian government to hold accountable those involved in plotting the assassination of Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu on its soil. Biden administration gave this information. In November last year, federal prosecutors charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta with involvement in a foiled plot to murder Pannu. Pannu has dual citizenship of America and Canada. US federal prosecutors had alleged that Gupta was working with an Indian government official and had agreed to pay a hitman US$100,000 to kill Pannu, who lived in New York City.

India has already constituted an inquiry committee to investigate the allegations. During a Congressional hearing, Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, told members of the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee that this is a serious issue between the US and India. The Justice Department has alleged that an Indian citizen attempted to assassinate an American citizen on American soil at the behest of someone working in the Indian government.

He said that we have taken this seriously in the administration and have raised it at the highest level with India. “We are currently working with India to encourage India to hold accountable those responsible for this horrific crime,” Lu said. India itself has announced that it has formed an investigation committee to look into the matter. He said that we have asked them to work quickly and transparently so that justice can be ensured.

Lu was answering a question from Dean Phillips, a member of Congress from Minnesota, at this hearing. Phillips had asked that the way sanctions were imposed on more than 500 people in Russia after the murder of Alexei Navalny, whether similar sanctions were being considered on those involved in the conspiracy to murder Pannu.