Nikhil Gupta Guilty Plea: Right-Wing Hindu American Foundation Mocks India’s Intelligence Agencies, Condemned

New Delhi: The US-based right-wing Hindu American Foundation is facing intense condemnation following controversial comments made by its leadership regarding the foiled plot to assassinate Sikh activists on American soil. The HAF leadership also mocked India’s intelligence agencies for what they said was “a horrible, sloppy job” after Indian national Nikhil Gupta entered a guilty plea in a New York federal court for his role in the conspiracy.

During a February 19, 2026 episode of the HAF Reacts show, HAF managing director Samir Kalra sparked outrage by mocking the "incompetence" of the attempted hit by Indian agencies. In a recording that other diaspora organisations have labelled a “misogynistic shock jock routine,” Kalra ridiculed the execution of the plot, which targeted Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York.

“Man, if you’re gonna do a job, f*cking do it right, too,” Kalra stated. Comparing the botched operation to the quality of performers at a strip club, he added, “Why did you send such a sloppy person to do the job? ... You gotta go to like, prime time at night to get the best dancers, not during the daytime. And that’s like, this kind of operation!”

Kalra further remarked, “Shame on India or whoever was ordering this hit or whoever was involved in it for doing such a horrible, sloppy job.”

'Transnational repression'

The comments drew a strong joint response from The Sikh Coalition, Hindus for Human Rights and the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund. The organisations argued that HAF’s leadership appeared to “overtly concede that India could have been involved in ‘ordering this hit’,” an act they described as an attempt to murder an American citizen on sovereign territory.

“It is truly remarkable to watch HAF’s leadership openly yucking it up about a foreign government’s plot to kill U.S.-based individuals,” the joint statement read. The groups emphasised that the threat of transnational repression remains “real and persistent,” noting that a former R&AW official remains wanted by the FBI and other activists have received “duty to warn” notices.

The joint statement urged media and policymakers to view the recording as “essential context” for HAF’s future advocacy, suggesting their "unserious" approach disqualifies them from credible discourse on safety and civil rights for the diaspora in the U.S.

Meanwhile, in Canada, days before Prime Minister Mark Carney departs for an official visit to India, Canadian police issued a “Duty to Warn” notice to Moninder Singh, head of the Sikh Federation of Canada, citing a “credible threat” to his life. Singh revealed that the warning, which also extended to his wife and children, originated from a confidential informant, reports Canadian outlet Global News.

Singh was initially warned alongside activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2022; Nijjar was subsequently gunned down in 2023, an assassination the RCMP has linked to Indian state actors. Singh remains convinced that New Delhi is utilising criminal syndicates, such as the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang and Goldy Brar, to execute “dirty work” against critics.

Canadian national security assessments have also previously alleged that Indian agents collaborate with organised crime to conduct political assassinations and extortions in Canada. This strategy was further evidenced by the FBI’s uncovering of a parallel plot against Pannun in New York, in which Gupta pleaded guilty earlier this month.

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