The United States has filed charges against an Indian government employee for his alleged involvement in a failed plot to kill a prominent Sikh separatist activist in New York, Al Jazeera reports.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Thursday that it has filed “murder-for-hire and money laundering charges” against Vikash Yadav. Yadav remains at large, while another suspect in the case, Nikhil Gupta, was extradited to the US earlier this year to face charges.
The case centers around an alleged scheme to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a vocal advocate for the Khalistan movement, which seeks an independent Sikh state in India’s Punjab region. Pannun serves as the legal advisor for Sikhs for Justice, an organization banned in India.
India has previously denied accusations that a government agent was involved in the murder plot, calling them “unwarranted” and “unsubstantiated.” However, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs confirmed on Thursday that Yadav is no longer employed by the government.
The US charges come amidst a growing international controversy surrounding India’s alleged attempts to suppress dissent and stifle the Khalistan movement. India has been increasingly vocal in demanding that countries with large Sikh populations, including Canada, the US, and the UK, take a harder stance against the movement.
Sikh community leaders have accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to silence dissent, both within India and abroad.
The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) issued a statement calling on Washington to take “urgent action” to address a campaign of “transnational repression.”
Sikhs for Justice, Pannun’s group, said the indictment demonstrated Washington’s “commitment… to protect the life, liberty and freedom of expression of the US Citizen at home and abroad.” They pledged to continue advocating for Khalistan.
The US State Department revealed this week that an Indian committee investigating the foiled murder plot had traveled to Washington, DC, to discuss the case with American officials.
The new charges in the US case follow similar allegations in Canada. The Canadian government recently announced that it had uncovered “clear and compelling evidence” of Indian government agents engaging in activities that threatened public safety in Canada.
India-Canada relations have been strained since September 2023, when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed Canada had credible evidence linking Indian government agents to the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh leader who also advocated for Khalistan.
India has vehemently denied involvement in Nijjar’s killing, accusing Trudeau of harboring a vendetta against the country.
