Ambassador Sandhu Heckled Outside NY Gurdwara
NEW YORK, NY (IANS) – A group of Khalistani supporters heckled Indian Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu outside a gurdwara in New York and accused him of killing Sikh hardliner Hardeep Singh Nijjar and “plotted to murder” Gurpatwant Singh Pannun — a listed individual terrorist of the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) outfit.
The incident came days after Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on November 22 said that the US shared some inputs pertaining to the nexus between organized criminals, gun runners, terrorists, and others and these inputs are a cause of concern for both countries, and they decided to take necessarily follow up action.
The incident took place at Hicksville Gurdwara in New York where a person could be heard shouting at the Sandhu with accusations over the killing of Nijjar, who was shot dead in Canada in June this year.
BJP spokesperson RP Singh Khalsa on November 27 shared a video which showed Sandhu being surrounded by people amid continuous shouting.
“Khalistanies tried to heckle Indian Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu with baseless questions for his role in the failed plot to assassinate Gurpatwant, (SFJ) and Khalistan Referendum campaign,” he said on X.
“Himmat Singh who led the pro-Khalistanies at Hicksville Gurdwara in New York also accused ambassador Sandhu for India’s role in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was President of Surrey Gurdwara and the coordinator for Canadian Chapter of the Khalistan Referendum.”
The National Investigation Agency had on November 20 registered a fresh case against ‘listed individual terrorist’ Pannun over his latest viral video threatening the passengers flying on Air India with a global blockade and closure of the operations of the airline from November 19.
In his statement on November 22, Bagchi had also said that issues in the context of US inputs were already being examined by relevant departments. In a statement on reports of discussions between India and the US on security matters.
“During the course of recent discussions on India-US security cooperation, the US side shared some inputs pertaining to nexus between organized criminals, gun runners, terrorists, and others.”
He said the inputs were a cause of concern for both countries and they decided to take necessary follow-up action and added that on its part, India takes such inputs “seriously” since it impinges on our own national security interests as well.
“Issues in the context of US inputs are already being examined by relevant departments,” the MEA spokesperson added.
Anil
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The Sikhs in the USA and Canada like almost all Indians get Canadian and US citizenship so these people do not matter to India. Especially after they have taken up another citizenship, they do not matter to Indian decision making.
Not a factor. Except the terrorist funding they send to India. Now that is where the US ambassador to India needs to be heckled and made to travel with full security.
November 27, 2023YCEE Arora
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These hecklers are a kind of traitors who are namak hrams as they say in Hindi
November 27, 2023Pradeep Srivastava
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Regarding the Pannun case, I just saw a breaking news from CNN, as follows:
Prosecutors charge Indian man with attempted murder-for-hire plot against Sikh activist on US soil
Hannah Rabinowitz Evan Perez
By Hannah Rabinowitz and Evan Perez, CNN
1 minute read
Updated 11:31 AM EST, Wed November 29, 2023
CNN — none
“US federal prosecutors have charged an Indian national in an alleged murder-for-hire plot to try to assassinate a Sikh political activist in New York City, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday.
Authorities say Nikhil Gupta, 52, paid an undercover officer he believed to be a hitman $100,000 to target the victim, a US citizen who is unnamed in the indictment but described as an attorney and vocal critic of the Indian government.
US officials familiar with the case told CNN the victim is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who runs a New York-based outfit called “Sikhs for Justice,” which has held referendums for a separate Khalistan state. The organization is considered unlawful in India, where its website is not accessible.
Gupta has been charged with murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire – was arrested in June of this year in the Czech Republic and held pursuant to a bilateral extradition treaty, authorities said.
Authorities allege Gupta worked with an Indian government official, who described himself as “senior field officer” with intelligence responsibilities and “directed the assassination plot from India.”
This story has been updated with additional details.“
“Authorities allege Gupta worked with an Indian government official, who described himself as “senior field officer” with intelligence responsibilities and “directed the assassination plot from India.””
This is the most disturbing part because it implicates Government of India and makes Prime Minister Modi and BJP look bad. The opposition parties are definitely going to make political hay out of this development, which will be bad not only for Modi and BJP, but also for India, just when India had started to get media coverage in its favor.
November 29, 2023