Days After Nikhil Gupta's Guilty Plea, Government Stays Silent on Pannun Case
New Delhi: The Union government is yet to comment on Nikhil Gupta’s ‘guilty’ plea in the 2023 high-profile transnational murder-for-hire case of Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Gupta pleaded guilty at a New York federal court on February 13 to charges of murder, conspiracy, and money laundering. The US Department of Justice released a press statement that claimed Gupta “acted on the direction of an Indian government employee”.
“At the direction and coordination of an Indian government employee, Nikhil Gupta plotted to assassinate a United States citizen on American soil, facilitating a foreign adversary’s unlawful effort to silence a vocal critic of the Indian government,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr, is quoted as having said in the release.
The release further spells out Gupta’s association with former R&AW employee Vikash Yadav.
According to a report by The Hindu, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has so far refused to comment on the developments. Officials reportedly indicated that they would await court documents, and confirmed that the Indian Consulate-General in New York had been granted consular access to Gupta and were prepared to assist him with any consular requirements.
Also read: What Exactly Did Nikhil Gupta Tell the US Judge While Entering His Guilty Plea?
According to a Bloomberg report, the Union government reiterated its position that New Delhi was not involved in the alleged plot to kill Pannun, who is also a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Canadian officials, on the other hand, have repeatedly claimed that the case is linked to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in June 2023, which had caused a rupture in India-Canada ties.
Gupta, an Indian citizen, accused of plotting to kill US citizen and Khalistan activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, was extradited to the United States from Prague, Czech Republic in June 2024.
A graduate of Delhi University with a Bachelor of Arts, he has been in custody for nearly three years at the Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn, a federal administrative detention facility in New York City.
He will remain in US federal detention while awaiting his sentencing.
This article went live on February seventeenth, two thousand twenty six, at fifty-three minutes past one in the afternoon.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
