US has said there was “valuable engagement” with India’s inquiry committee last week and information was exchanged between the governments to further their respective investigations regarding the alleged foiled assassination plot of the US-based Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
While addressing a media briefing on Tuesday (local time), US Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel stated that US understands that Indian inquiry committee will continue its investigation and expects to see further steps based on conversation held between officials of two nations last week.
On being asked about US government’s message to India on alleged foiled plot to assassinate Pannun, Patel stated, “So, to take a step back, there was valuable engagement with India’s inquiry committee last week, and information was exchanged between our two governments to further our respective investigations. We understand that the Indian inquiry committee will continue its investigation, and we expect to see further steps based on last week’s conversations.”
“We continue to expect and want to see accountability based on the results of that investigation, and certainly the United States won’t be fully satisfied until there is meaningful accountability resulting from that investigation. Beyond that, I’m just not going to address this in further detail given that this is an issue that is active and remains under investigation and ongoing under both of our countries,” he added.
Indian enquiry committee has visited United States to investigate the involvement of former Indian government official in foiled plot to assassinate a US national, the US Department of State said.
Pannun is an India-designated terrorist who holds American and Canadian citizenship. Earlier in November, the US Justice Department unsealed an indictment against an Indian national for his alleged involvement in a foiled plot to assassinate Pannun.
India in November last year formed a high-level inquiry committee to address the security concerns highlighted by the US government. The Ministry of External Affairs said that India takes such inputs seriously since they impinge on national security interests as well, and relevant departments were already examining the issue.
Indian national Nikhil Gupta is accused of being involved in the alleged failed murder plot of India-designated pro-Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Earlier in June, Gupta was extradited from the Czech Republic to the US to stand trial, where he pleaded ‘not guilty.’
On October 17, the US Justice Department announced the filing of murder-for-hire and money laundering charges against a former Indian government employee, Vikash Yadav, in connection with his alleged role in directing a foiled plot to assassinate Pannun.
In a statement, the US Justice Department said, “Yadav is charged in a second superseding indictment unsealed today in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Yadav’s alleged co-conspirator, Nikhil Gupta, 53, was previously charged and extradited to the United States on the charges contained in the first superseding indictment. Yadav remains at large.”
The US Justice Department noted, “An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has confirmed that the individual named in the US Justice Department’s indictment case in a foiled assassination plot against Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, was no longer an employee of the government of India.
“The US State Department informed us that the individual in the Justice Department indictment is no longer employed by India. I confirm that he is no longer an employee of the Government of India,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a press conference.