New Delhi: US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said the involvement of a government or government employee in an alleged assassination of a citizen is an ‘unacceptable red line’ – referring to the alleged plot to kill Sikh US citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Pannun is designated a terrorist in India and is a pro-Khalistan activist.
Last year, US prosecutors alleged that an Indian citizen named Nikhil Gupta tried to hire a hitman to kill Pannun on US soil at the behest of an Indian government official.
Gupta has been arrested and extradited to the US.
The indictment referred to Gupta’s handler – the Indian government official – as ‘CC1’ and said, as The Wire has reported earlier: “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.”
In an interview to the news agency ANI, Garcetti spoke of a ‘red line’ – the involvement of a government functionary in the murder of a foreign citizen.
“I think that’s absolutely critical. For any of us, just abstractly, that has to be a red line. No government or government employee can be involved in the alleged assassination of one of your own citizens. That’s just an unacceptable red line,” Garcetti said.
“Any country, having an active member of their government involved in a second country trying to assassinate one of their citizens. That’s, I think, usually a red line for any country. That’s a basic issue of sovereignty. That’s a basic issue of rights,” he added.
Garcetti also noted that the US protects free speech “for better and for worse” and added that a citizen of the USA can be convicted or deported only according to the country’s law.
The US envoy also asked for senior law enforcement functionaries to be put in India’s commission of inquiry.
“I was very pleased that India put together this commission of inquiry, put senior people who are experienced in law enforcement on that, and that they have been digging in on this side domestically to uncover any evidence that would show a murder for hire plot that included anybody who was from the Indian government,” he said.
“I think, strongly, but so far, everything that’s been asked of the Indian government has been done. And I would say vice versa. Whenever there is accusations the other direction, we take that incredibly seriously,” Garcetti added.
