Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Wednesday said that the Indian government has formed a high-level inquiry committee to investigate the alleged plot to target a Khalistani separatist in the US.
The MEA statement comes just days after the Financial Times (FT) reported that the US had “thwarted a conspiracy to assassinate” Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil and “issued a warning to India's government over concerns that it was involved in the plot.”
MEA Discusses India-US Security Cooperation
In response to media inquiries about India-US security cooperation, Bagchi stated that the US side has shared some information “pertaining to the nexus between organised criminals, gun runners, terrorists, and others.” Bagchi said that “India takes such inputs seriously since they impinge on our national security interests as well”, adding that “relevant departments were already examining the issue.”
“In this context, it is informed that on 18 November 2023, the Government of India constituted a high-level Enquiry Committee to look into all the relevant aspects of the matter,” Bagchi remarked. In his concluding remarks, Bagchi claimed that the Indian government would take necessary follow-up actions based on the findings of the Committee.
Breaking: India constitutes high-level Enquiry Committee to look into US inputs pertaining to "nexus between organized criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others". MEA release: pic.twitter.com/lUaXnS07uE
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) November 29, 2023
Finacial Times Report
According to the FT report, American authorities foiled a plot to kill a Sikh separatist on US soil and issued a warning to the Indian government over suspicions that New Delhi was involved in the plot. Per the report, the plan’s target was Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an American and Canadian citizen who works as general counsel for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a US-based organisation that is part of a movement advocating for an independent Sikh state known as Khalistan.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma told CTV News, a Canadian television channel, that Washington had shared “legally presentable” information with Delhi about “Indian connections” in Pannun’s alleged assassination plot. Verma stated that while US-India relations are not under his jurisdiction, it is his understanding that Indian officials are assisting in the American investigation. “The investigation in the case of the US as far as I know and understand [...] is at a much [more] advanced stage, and therefore, I presume, that there would be better information shared with India,” Verma explained.
The FT report comes two months after Canada said it had “credible” suspicions that Indian agents were involved in the June assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Nijjar in a Vancouver suburb. India has denied the allegations as “absurd.”
Nijjar Killing
In June, Nijjar was shot outside a Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a large Sikh community. The Indian government designated him as a “terrorist” in July 2020 for his separatist actions and issued him an Interpol red corner notice. Canadian PM Justin Trudeau accused India of Nijjar’s death, calling the June incident an “unacceptable violation.” India condemned Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd and motivated.”