New Delhi: India has told the United States that it has arrested a suspect dubbed ‘CC1’, who a US Department of Justice indictment had implicated as the one who directed a foiled assassination plot against American national Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Hindustan Times has reported.
This development comes as India’s ties with Canada hit rock bottom over New Delhi’s alleged lack of cooperation with investigations stemming from the killing of a Sikh Canadian, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Both Pannun and Nijjar are pro-Khalistan activists.
Asked if there was a degree of coordination behind all these developments, the US official told Hindustan Times that the “timing” was “not related at all”, and there had just been a “remarkable overlap”.
The Hindustan Times report comes after the US state department noted in a press release that an Indian government committee investigating Indian involvement in Pannun’s murder will travel to Washington this week and meet US officials there. Reuters has called this release “unusual” as it has to do with another country’s investigation. The release also appears to have been republished.
It reads:
An Indian Enquiry Committee that was established to investigate activities of certain organized criminals is actively investigating the individual who was identified last year in the Department of Justice’s indictment as an Indian government employee who directed a foiled plot to assassinate a U.S. citizen in New York City. The Enquiry Committee will be traveling to Washington, D.C. on October 15th, as part of their ongoing investigations to discuss the case, including information they have obtained, and to receive an update from U.S. authorities regarding the U.S. case that is proceeding. Additionally, India has informed the United States they are continuing their efforts to investigate other linkages of the former government employee and will determine follow up steps, as necessary.
The HT report had it that India has told the US that CC1 is no longer a government official.
Last year, US prosecutors alleged that an Indian citizen, Nikhil Gupta, had tried to hire a hitman to kill Pannun at the behest of an Indian government official. Gupta has since been arrested and extradited to the US.
The indictment referred to the Indian government official as ‘CC1’ and said, as The Wire has reported earlier. It said:
“CC-1 is an Indian government agency employee who has variously described himself as a “Senior Field Officer” with responsibilities in “Security Management” and “Intelligence,” and who also has referenced previously serving in India’s Central Reserve Police Force and receiving “officer[] training” in “battle craft” and “weapons.” CC-1 directed the assassination plot from India.”
“The enquiry committee’s visit and meetings had been planned for a while.”
