New Delhi: In a joint statement, Indian-American legislators in the US Congress have cautioned that relations between India and the United States could face “significant damage” if there is not enough accountability for allegations made of the involvement of an Indian government official in a plot to kill a US citizen.
Last month, US federal prosecutors released a new and detailed indictment of an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, for attempting to hire a hitman to kill a Sikh separatist. The indictment accused an unnamed but identified Indian government official (‘CC-1’) of recruiting Gupta for orchestrating the conspiracy. Gupta is currently in the Czech Republic, facing extradition proceedings initiated by the US.
The joint statement was released on Friday on behalf of five Indian American lawmakers currently serving in the 118th Congress – Ami Bera, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Shri Thanedar.
The statement noted that they had received a closed-door classified briefing from the US administration on the charges.
“We appreciate the Administration providing us a classified briefing on the Department of Justice’s indictment of Nikhil Gupta, which alleges that an Indian government official engaged in a murder-for-hire plot of an American citizen,” it said.
The reference to “classified” presumably means that the legislators have been read in to more details about the plot, including its dramatis personae and the nature of the evidence US investigators have.
Stating that the safety and well-being of their constituents were of utmost priority, the five lawmakers noted that the “allegations made in the indictment are deeply concerning”.
Welcoming the Indian government’s decision to set up a committee of enquiry, the statement said that it was “critical that India fully investigate, hold those responsible, including Indian government officials, accountable, and provide assurances that this will not happen again”.
They also cautioned that if there was no proper accountability, this would impact the bilateral relationship.
“We believe the US–India partnership has made a meaningful impact on the lives of both of our people, but we are concerned that the actions outlined in the indictment could, if not appropriately addressed, cause significant damage to this very consequential partnership,” he said.
The US allegations came on the heels of the public accusation made by Canada that there was a potential link of Indian agents to the June 18, 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian national and Sikh activist who was declared a terrorist by India.
The US indictment seemed to indicate that the Indian government official (CC-1) was linked to the killing of Nijjar. The ‘victim’ in the US court filings was not publicly identified, but he is understood to be Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, ‘General Counsel’ for ‘Sikhs for Justice’, which is banned as a terror group by India.
While India had reacted angrily to the Canadian allegations, New Delhi’s response to the US charges has been substantially different. India announced that it had set up a high-level committee to look into the “inputs” provided by US, which it continued to relate to the “nexus between organized criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others”.