Reaction: India claim “rogue operatives” behind Sikh assassination plot

An Indian investigation into a foiled plot to assassinate a prominent American Sikh activist last year has claimed that “rogue operatives” were to blame.

The USA remains in the process of extraditing Indian nationalist terrorist Nikhil Gupta from the Czech Republic, after the known trafficker was found by undercover US intelligence working on behalf of India to attempt to arrange the assassination of New York lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the General Counsel of the Sikh For Justice group, last year.

However, a newly released report claims the Indian government was unaware of these actions by their agents.

With the USA pressing for transparency from India about the situation, an Indian investigation report covered by international media confirmed that, according to an unnamed senior official, at least one person directly involved in the plot was employed by the Indian government. US prosecutors alleged that an Indian government agent – described as a “senior field officer” with responsibilities in “security management” and “intelligence” – had instructed known criminal Nikhil Gupta to organize the assassination of Pannun. It is believed that this is the ‘rogue agent’ that India is referring to. The agent is said to no longer work for the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India’s foreign spy agency, but they are still employed by the Government and India has not taken any criminal action against him. The US is demanding criminal prosecution of the individuals involved.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is the lead figure of the global Khalistan (free Sikh homeland) Referendum campaign, which has been successfully held in the UK, Italy, USA, Canada and Australia. The attempt to have him killed was arranged in June, the same time that Shaheed (martyrs) Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar was assassinated in Canada and Bhai Avtar Singh Khanda died of suspected poisoning, both of whom were targets of threats from Indian nationalist figures and also placed on NIA (National Investigation Agency- Indian intelligence bureau) hitlists.

In November 2023 drug trafficker Nikhil Gupta was charged by the US Justice department for his involvement in organising the assassination. Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic and is awaiting extradition to the US to face these charges.

The Sikh communities have long affirmed that the Indian government is behind these deaths, as part of ongoing attempts to subjugate Sikh activism. India’s new angle of now blaming the Pannun assassination attempt on a “rogue agent” is viewed as a deflection tactic, which many prominent Sikh community figures refuse to believe.

See reaction from Sikh activists, journalists and more below.