A murder plot that cannot be ignored: India must come clean at last
Publishing date: 30 April 2024
Published in: Washington Post
In November, the Justice Department unsealed an indictment containing the shocking charge that an official of India’s government, not identified by name, led a brazen conspiracy to assassinate a dissident Sikh political activist on U.S. soil. Now, that charge has become even more grave with The Post’s revelation that U.S. officials have identified the plotter as Vikram Yadav, an officer in India’s spy agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), and have concluded the operation was approved by the RAW chief at the time, Samant Goel. India should get to the bottom of this appalling murder-for-hire case and the United States should make clear that it will not tolerate such crimes within its borders.
It appears those who hatched the conspiracy were working for the highest levels of the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While the plot was moving ahead last June, Mr. Modi was being feted at the White House for his commitment to democracy.
▪️The Post reports that U.S. spy agencies have tentatively assessed that Mr. Modi’s national security adviser, Ajit Doval, was probably aware of RAW’s plans to kill Sikh activists, but officials said no proof has emerged. The target was to be Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a U.S. citizen, general counsel for the New York-based Sikhs for Justice, a group that advocates for some or all of Punjab state in northern India to secede and form an independent Sikh state. According to the indictment, the plotters hired Nikhil Gupta, an associate in India who has been involved in weapons and narcotics trafficking, to “orchestrate the assassination,” including hiring a killer in the United States. At the request of the United States, Mr. Gupta was arrested while traveling to Prague at the end of June and has been charged with murder for hire, which he denies. The killing was not carried out.
The plot was unfolding just when another Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was killed outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia. Nijjar was an associate of Mr. Pannun. According to the indictment, on June 20, two days before Mr. Modi spoke at the White House, the chief plotter, now identified as Mr. Yadav, sent Mr. Gupta a news article about the Canada murder and told him the assassination of Mr. Pannun is a “priority now.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in September that Canada had “credible evidence” of India’s involvement in Nijjar’s death. Both cases mark a serious and disturbing escalation in transnational repression governments brazenly attempting to punish, kidnap or assassinate critics, activists, dissidents and journalists far beyond their own borders, violating the laws and norms of other countries with impunity. The practice has become alarmingly frequent, including in the United States. According to Freedom House, the top 10 perpetrators are: China, Turkey, Tajikistan, Russia, Egypt, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Iran and Rwanda.
▪️ The United States has strategic interests in a solid, long-term relationship with India, which President Biden has correctly pursued in hopes India will prove a bulwark against China’s rising power. But India must live up to Mr. Modi’s claim that democracy “runs in our veins.” This means treating India’s minorities with respect and dignity, a test on which it is clearly failing. It also means demanding accountability for wrongdoing. The assassination plot cries out for a full and honest investigation that has yet to be carried out. The Biden administration is treating the India case with kid gloves. The Post reports that CIA Director William J. Burns and other officials have demanded accountability, but the administration has not imposed expulsions, sanctions or other penalties. The only U.S. charges made public to date are against the alleged middleman, Mr. Gupta, who is in prison, awaiting a Czech court ruling on a U.S. request for his extradition.
No prosecution has been attempted of Mr. Yadav, who is identified in the indictment as an unnamed co-conspirator, “CC-1,” and the document made no mention of the Indian spy agency. The Post also reported that India’s government appointed a special panel to investigate the attacks and report its findings to the United States. A U.S. delegation that traveled to New Delhi several weeks ago for an update on the probe, however, returned with little evidence of meaningful progress. The United States needs stronger laws and other measures to fight transnational repression; Congress is considering legislation and should act. How the India case is handled will also send an important signal. If it turns out that India’s security officers plotted to murder on these shores and then escape accountability and punishment for doing so, others will be encouraged to kill with impunity. The United States cannot let this happen.