New Delhi: The US has welcomed the recommendation by an Indian inquiry committee to initiate legal action against a former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer implicated in a murder-for-hire case in the US, outgoing ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said on Thursday (January 16), adding that Washington looks forward to further steps in the matter.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a statement a day earlier, indirectly acknowledging the involvement of an Indian government official in the US case alleging an attempt to assassinate a pro-Khalistan lawyer.
A high-level government committee recommended “legal action” against “an individual”, according to the MHA’s press release.
It also highlighted systemic and procedural weaknesses within the government that require rectification, suggesting the RAW officer acted independently.
The announcement came just five days before Donald Trump is to begin his second term as president.
In an interview with The Times of India, the outgoing US envoy described the findings as “a really positive first step”.
He stated: “We welcome it. It delivered what the private interactions I had with Indian officials promised. We said changes should be made to ensure this doesn’t happen again and people should be held accountable.
“It’s not the destination though. The report would be first to say that. It says it’s recommending a process for prosecution. And just like in our system, facts come out and things happen. But this is substantive. It moves the ball forward and we look forward to steps in the future”.
Garcetti was responding to a question about the Indian probe, which suggests it was a ‘lone wolf’ operation.
He denied any knowledge about the Canadian government’s claim that more senior Indian government officials, including home minister Amit Shah, may have been involved.
“I believe both of our countries have independent criminal justice systems, which are outside our intelligence systems and have to pursue facts that can hold up in a court of law. I don’t want to speak for Canada. I know it to be the case in America. My friends in Canada would say they have a similar system. I think often we see connections that don’t exist,’’ said Garcetti.
Describing outgoing US President Joe Biden as the “most pro-India president in US history,” Garcetti also called Modi the “most pro-US PM.”
“And when President Biden said this is the most important country to me when he asked me to take this position … I think he proved it,” Garcetti said. “Things like iCET, envisioning IMEEC … or the work we are doing in Fiji or southeast Asia or Africa is not just additive but also multiplicative. That legacy will be an amazing foundation for the Trump administration to further build on but will also stand on it as the brightest chapter.”
While Trump’s call to impose tariffs on India could pose a challenge to ties, Garcetti viewed it as more of a negotiating tactic.
“If we want to outcompete our main competitors … want to have a China-plus one strategy, it’s not enough to have good intentions. We have to reduce tariffs further. We have to create a corridor that is trusted between our technologies,” he said. “The way I hear it from the president-elect, it’s an invitation to sit down at the table, not a threat to start a trade war.”
On the US focus on human rights violations and the treatment of minorities, Garcetti emphasised the need for both countries to tackle misinformation and foster inclusion.
However, he clarified that the US wasn’t trying to lecture India.
“That’s for the Indians to determine. India says we will not comment on you and please don’t comment on us. America says we are going to comment on you, please do comment on us. We have a slight difference there,” he remarked.
He also praised India’s democratic vibrance, adding, “There have been moments when I have been blown away by the vibrancy of the Indian democracy. There are fair, free elections that are an example for others.”
Reflecting on some of the more challenging issues he faced during his tenure, including India’s ties with Russia and the murder-for-hire case, Garcetti acknowledged that while not all conversations were easy, there was nothing the two sides couldn’t resolve.
“Sometimes we have to disagree on things. But we resolved our trade disputes. We are navigating through criminal cases – both what happened to Indian diplomats in San Francisco and in terms of what happened to American citizens like in the Pannun case,” he said.
“Democracies are complex, diverse populations are difficult to manage, but it reminds me of America a few decades ago. If we put our minds together, there’s nothing we can’t do.”
