Foiled Plot To Kill Separatist In US Was By ‘Rogue’ Officials Says India

Photo: Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual citizen of the United States and Canada

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC – In a recent development, an Indian investigation says the foiled plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader on U.S. soil was carried out by “rogue” officials. According to a report by Bloomberg News on March 19, these officials operated without government authorization.

Unnamed senior officials, quoted in the report, disclosed that at least one individual directly involved in the thwarted plot was formerly employed by the Indian government but has since severed ties with India’s foreign spy agency, the Research and Analysis Wing.

New Delhi has formally submitted the findings of the government-appointed investigation panel to U.S. authorities, as reported by Reuters. Despite repeated requests for comment, India’s foreign ministry remained tight-lipped on the matter and has yet to initiate any criminal proceedings against the implicated individual.

The United States is pressing for criminal prosecution against those implicated in the plot, as stated in the report. India initiated the investigation panel in response to concerns raised by U.S. authorities, who had foiled the assassination attempt and issued a stern warning regarding potential government involvement.

The U.S. Justice Department previously asserted in November that an Indian government official had directed the failed assassination plot against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual citizen of the United States and Canada.

This revelation comes on the heels of similar accusations made by Canada, citing “credible” allegations linking Indian agents to the June murder of another Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in a Vancouver suburb. Many efforts were made to discredit PM Justin Trudeau but after the US quietly provided evidence of the plot on American soil, India had promised to investigate.