- Friday, May 17, 2024
As per an investigative report, an official of India’s external intelligence agency RAW was involved in the alleged plot to eliminate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and it was approved by former chief of the organisation.
By: Shubham Ghosh
WASHINGTON on Monday (29) expressed grave concern over the reported involvement of the Indian intelligence service in two assassination attempts in Canada and the United States.
According to a report by The Washington Post, an official within India’s intelligence service was directly involved in a thwarted plot to assassinate a prominent American citizen, known for vocal criticism of prime minister Narendra Modi. It said the official also allegedly played a role in the fatal shooting of a Sikh activist in Canada last June.
As per the investigative report, an official of India’s external intelligence agency RAW (Research and Analytics Wing) identified as Vikram Yadav was involved in the alleged plot to eliminate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the US and the move was approved by former chief of the organisation, Samant Goel.
Read: India finds rogue officials involved in Pannun murder plot
The Washington Post report said, “That India would pursue lethal operations in North America has stunned Western security officials.
“Yadav’s identity and affiliation, which have not previously been reported, provide the most explicit evidence to date that the assassination plan — ultimately thwarted by US authorities — was directed from within the Indian spy service,” the daily reported.
Read: Modi breaks silence on Sikh separatist leader Pannun ‘murder plot’: Here’s what he said
“Higher-ranking (Research and Analysis Wing) RAW officials have also been implicated, according to current and former Western security officials, as part of a sprawling investigation by the CIA, FBI and other agencies that has mapped potential links to (prime minister Narendra Modi) Modi’s inner circle,” it said.
“In reports that have been closely held within the American government, US intelligence agencies have assessed that the operation targeting Pannun was approved by the RAW chief at the time, Samant Goel,” the daily claimed.
“That finding is consistent with accounts provided to The Washington Post by former senior Indian security officials who had knowledge of the operation and said Goel was under extreme pressure to eliminate the alleged threat of Sikh extremists overseas. “US spy agencies have more tentatively assessed that Modi’s national security adviser, Ajit Doval, was probably aware of RAW’s plans to kill Sikh activists, but officials emphasised that no smoking gun proof has emerged,” it said.
India’s external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on April 1 had said that India’s national security interests are involved in its investigation into the alleged involvement of a government official in the assassination plot aimed at Khalistani extremist Pannun. The Washington Post reported that the Biden administration has refrained from making charges against Yadav.
India’s ministry of external affairs (MEA) reacted to the Post report saying it made “unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter” while New Delhi is probing the matter.
In a statement, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the MEA, said, “Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful.”
Speaking to reporters on Monday, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre called it a “serious matter” and that the American side was taking it “very, very seriously”.
Last November, US authorities revealed that an Indian government official had orchestrated an assassination plot targeting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist holding dual citizenship in the US and Canada.
New Delhi expressed concern over the allegations and distanced itself from the plot, pledging to conduct a formal investigation into the matter based on the concerns raised by Washington. It also committed to taking necessary actions based on the findings of a panel formed on November 18.
Pannun is the general counsel of Sikhs for Justice, a group designated by India as an “unlawful association” in 2019 due to its alleged involvement in extremist activities. In 2020, India listed Pannun as an “individual terrorist.”
News of the US plot came two months after Canada said it was looking at credible allegations potentially linking Indian agents to assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another Sikh separatist, in a Vancouver suburb in June 2023. New Delhi strongly rejected Ottawa’s accusations.
(With Reuters, PTI inputs)
