Washington: The United States on Tuesday (local time) noted the Washington Post report on India's involvement in the foiled assassination plot of Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and asserted that it continues to seek accountability from the Indian government based on the enquiry committee set up by New Delhi to probe the case. The Washington Post reported that an officer in India's intelligence service was directly involved in a foiled plan to assassinate the designated terrorist.
"We continue to expect accountability from the Government of India based on the results of the Indian inquiry committee’s work, and we are regularly working with them and enquiring for additional updates. We’ll also continue to raise our concerns directly with the Indian Government at senior levels, but beyond that I’m not going to parse into this further and will defer to the Department of Justice," said US State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel during a press briefing.
The report made multiple allegations, saying that the Indian intelligence officer was also involved in a separate killing of another designated Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada last year. It also said that members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's inner circle, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and then RAW chief Samant Goel were aware of the plot.
What does the report claim?
The report by the Washington Post claimed that an officer in India's spy wing, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) had relayed final instructions to a "hired hit team" to carrying out the assassination of the Khalistani separatist, who has threatened numerous attacks against India. As soon as the would-be assassins could confirm that Pannun was home, "it would be a go ahead from us", it added.
US spy agencies said the assassination bid was allegedly approved by the RAW chief under pressure to eliminate Sikh extremists overseas. The report further claimed that the RAW officer collaborated with the Indian national Nikhil Gupta to assassinate Pannun and spent weeks trading encrypted texts. The report claimed that the US has refrained from punitive responses - such as sanctions or expulsions of RAW members - to avoid ruptures in its relations with India.
Meanwhile, the External Affairs Ministry on Tuesday rejected the US media report. It dubbed the report "unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter" at a time when New Delhi is investigating the issue. "Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful," foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.
White House on India's assassination plots
Meanwhile, the White House on Monday said it viewed the reported role of the Indian intelligence service in two assassination plots in Canada and the United States as a "serious matter". "This is a serious matter, and we're taking that very, very seriously," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. "We're going to continue to raise our concerns."
"Look, India is an important strategic partner here of the United States. So, we are pursuing an ambitious agenda to expand our cooperation in several areas... The government of India has been very clear with us that they are taking this seriously and will investigate. And we expect that accountability from the government based on that," she added.
It is worth mentioning in November, US authorities alleged that an Indian government official had directed the plot in the attempted murder of Pannun, a Sikh separatist and dual citizen of the United States and Canada. At that time, India had expressed concern about the linkage and dissociated itself from the plot, saying it would formally investigate the concerns of the United States, and take 'necessary follow-up action' on the findings of a panel set up on November 18.
Notably, Pannun, a most wanted terrorist in India, is the general counsel of Sikhs for Justice, a group that New Delhi labelled an "unlawful association" in 2019, citing its involvement in extremist activities. Subsequently, in 2020, India listed Pannun as an "individual terrorist". The issue is a delicate one for both India and the Biden administration in the United States as they try to build closer ties in the face of shared concerns about China's growing power.
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