New Delhi: India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday expressed its concern over the case filed in a US court docket towards an Indian citizen, Nikhil Gupta, for allegedly plotting to assassinate a Khalistani chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. The MEA additionally mentioned that the case was opposite to the federal government coverage and {that a} high-level inquiry committee has been set as much as look into the matter.
MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi mentioned that the US had shared some inputs with India concerning the nexus between organised criminals, gunrunners, terrorists and different extremists through the discussions on bilateral safety cooperation. He mentioned that India took such inputs very critically and constituted a high-level inquiry committee to look at all of the related elements of the difficulty. He added that needed follow-up motion can be taken based mostly on the findings of the inquiry committee.
Breaking: MEA phrases case towards a particular person in US & linking with Indian official as “concerning” & “contrary to Govt policy” https://t.co/PMPFUb3L2k pic.twitter.com/oFQ55y5YSf
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) November 30, 2023
Bagchi additionally mentioned that the case towards Gupta, who was allegedly linked to an Indian official, was a matter of concern for India. He mentioned that the nexus between organised crime, trafficking, gunrunning and extremists at a global degree was a critical situation for the legislation enforcement businesses and organisations to contemplate. He mentioned that India had acknowledged that the case was additionally opposite to the federal government coverage and that India can be guided by the outcomes of the inquiry committee.
‘Canada Gives Space To Anti-India Elements’: MEA
“In so far as Canada is concerned, we have said that they have consistently given space to anti-India extremists and that is actually the heart of the issue. Our diplomatic representatives in Canada have borne the brunt of this. So, we expect the Government of Canada to live up to its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. We have also seen interference by Canadian diplomats in our internal affairs and that is unacceptable,” Bagchi mentioned on the Indian-Canadian rift over killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Nikhil Gupta, 52, referred as an affiliate of CC-1 within the felony coplaint filed by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, is an Indian nationwide who allegedly conspired with others to assassinate a US citizen in New York City. The US citizen, referred as ‘sufferer’ is a Sikh separatist chief who advocates for the creation of a separate Sikh-nation referred to as ‘Khalistan’. However, the Justice Department doc didn’t reveal the id of the citizen concerned within the plot. This comes after a Financial Times report on plan to homicide Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist chief.
According to the grievance, Gupta is an affiliate of a senior official within the Indian Intelligence Bureau (IB), the nation’s home intelligence company. He is accused of being the principle contact individual for the co-conspirators, who embrace a Canadian citizen, a Pakistani nationwide, and two US residents. Gupta allegedly supplied them with info, steering, and monetary help to hold out the homicide plot.
“Czech authorities arrested and detained GUPTA on June 30, 2023, pursuant to the bilateral extradition treaty between the United States and the Czech Republic,” the report states.
