India's external affairs ministry dismissed a report by the Washington Post, which alleged Indian spy agency’s involvement in what is thought to be a failed assassination attempt against Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and even named a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) official who it said orchestrated the purported plan.
“The report in question makes unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
“There is an ongoing investigation of the High Level Committee set up by the Government of India to look into the security concerns shared by the US government on networks of organised criminals, terrorists and others. Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful,” he further added.
A report published by US newspaper Washington Post claimed that an officer of the foreign intelligence agency of India Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) instructed a hired hit team to kill US-based Khalistani separatist Pannun.
The report says that RAW officer Vikram Yadav gave the instructions to the hit team to eliminate the legal counsel of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) who is a prominent leader of the separatist movement. “US intelligence agencies have assessed that the operation targeting Pannun was approved by the RAW chief at the time, Samant Goel,” the report said.
The report also said that Yadav was transferred back to Central Reserve Police Forces (CRPF) following the unravelling of the Pannun plot. The government of India has not responded to these assertions made by the US newspaper. American authorities have indicted Nikhil Gupta for the plot and said that he was acting at the behest of an Indian official who was named as CC-1 in the indictment. Gupta remains in a jail in Czechian capital Prague. He was detained last year by Czechian and American agencies.
The government is looking at the issue and had formed a high-level committee to investigate the matter in November based on the information shared by the US about the role of the Indian official. India at that time said that it had a bearing on India’s security as well. The report by the Washington Post claimed that Vikram Yadav was on deputation from CRPF and had allegedly forwarded details of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, including his address in New York. It also claimed that Yadav “lacked training and skills” needed for the operation that involved going head-to-head against sophisticated US counter-intelligence capabilities, the newspaper further claimed.
