A former Indian intelligence official has been indicted in the United States over allegations of orchestrating a failed plot to kill an American citizen in New York City who is a prominent advocate for an independent Sikh homeland. The indictment against Vikash Yadav, unsealed in a Manhattan federal court, implicates a direct connection between the Indian government and a purported murder-for-hire scheme on U.S. soil.
Initially, the Justice Department announced charges related to this case last year, naming Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national accused of drug and weapons trafficking, as a defendant. That indictment also mentioned an unnamed Indian government official alleged to have directed the scheme.
The recent unsealed indictment identifies this official as Yadav, making him a co-defendant alongside Gupta. Both Yadav and Gupta face charges of murder-for-hire conspiracy, murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic last year and extradited to the United States, where he has pleaded not guilty. Yadav remains at large, according to the Justice Department.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated, “The Justice Department will be relentless in holding accountable any person — regardless of their position or proximity to power — who seeks to harm and silence American citizens.”
The intended victim of the alleged plot was Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen, lawyer, and political activist. Pannun serves as the general counsel for Sikhs for Justice and advocates for the establishment of a Sikh state in northern India.
Pannun welcomed the indictment against Yadav, affirming that the “U.S. government has reassured its commitment to the fundamental constitutional duty to protect the life, liberty, and freedom of expression of the U.S. citizen at home and abroad.” He also stated, “The attempt on my life on American soil is a blatant case of India’s transnational terrorism which has become a challenge to America’s sovereignty and threat to freedom of speech and democracy.”
Simultaneously with the alleged plot against Pannun, another Sikh separatist leader and an associate of Pannun, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was killed in Canada. Canadian authorities have arrested four Indian nationals in connection to Nijjar’s murder. This week, Canada declared that India’s top diplomat in the country and five other Indian diplomats were persons of interest in the investigation, leading to the expulsion of all six Indian diplomats.
Canadian authorities also reported evidence indicating Indian diplomats’ involvement in activities against Canadian citizens. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated, “We will never tolerate the involvement of a foreign government threatening and killing Canadian citizens on Canadian soil.” India has denied these accusations.
The incidents surrounding Nijjar’s assassination and the alleged plot against Pannun have raised questions regarding India’s international actions and complicated the U.S.-India relationship. The Biden administration sees India as a critical ally against China’s influence.
Following the U.S. announcement last year about foiling the attempt on Pannun’s life, India launched its internal investigation, an effort met with skepticism in Washington. Recently, Indian officials engaged in this inquiry have visited the U.S. for discussions with American counterparts, which a State Department spokesperson described as “productive.”
