US says Indian gov’t official hired hitman in New York assassination plot

U.S. prosecutors have named an Indian state employee in a plot to assassinate a U.S.-based Sikh separatist leader advocating for Punjab’s independence. Vikash Yadav , the accused mastermind, remains at large while his alleged associate, Nikhil Gupta, was arrested and extradited to the U.S. earlier this year.

According to court documents, Yadav recruited Gupta to hire a hitman to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a New York-based leader of the Khalistan movement, which seeks a separate Sikh state.

Gupta allegedly offered $100,000 for the killing and contacted an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration informant posing as a hitman in 2023.

The murder was initially delayed to avoid overshadowing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s U.S. state visit. Days before Modi’s visit, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a colleague of Pannun, was killed in Canada, further escalating tensions between India and Western nations.

Both Yadav and Gupta face charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy , and money laundering, with Gupta pleading not guilty. The U.S. Justice Department and FBI have vowed to hold accountable anyone threatening U.S. citizens, while India has denied involvement in the plot.

Canadian authorities have linked India to Nijjar’s murder, leading to a diplomatic dispute in which both countries expelled diplomats. The situation raises concerns about the growing use of transnational repression by governments to silence dissidents abroad.

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