US ups heat on 'plot’ to kill Khalistan supporter

NT Correspondent

New Delhi/Washington: The United States has told India that those involved in an alleged foiled plot to assassinate a Khalistan supporter on American soil should be held accountable, the White House said on Wednesday.

This came hours after the Financial Times reported that Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an American and Canadian citizen, was the target of the alleged conspiracy.

The newspaper said that Washington had issued a warning to New Delhi about concerns that the Indian government was involved in the plot.

White House spokesperson Adrienne Watson later said the US has raised the matter “at the senior-most levels” with India, Reuters reported. Indian officials “expressed surprise and concern” when approached by the US about the allegations, Watson said.

“They stated that activity of this nature was not their policy...We understand the Indian government is further investigating this issue and will have more to say about it in the coming days,” she added.

It is not clear how the US authorities became aware of the alleged assassination attempt or how it was derailed. The protest to Delhi was registered after United States President Joe Biden welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a state visit.

Apart from the diplomatic warning to India, US federal prosecutors have filed a sealed indictment against at least one suspect in a New York district court, the Financial Times reported.

Prosecutors are debating whether to unseal the indictment. The report came two months after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that there were “credible” allegations linking Indian agents to the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June.

According to the Financial Times, the US shared details of the thwarted plot to kill Pannun with a wider group of allies after Canada’s public accusation. India has rejected Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd and motivated”.