India slams Washington Post report linking RAW officer to alleged Pannun murder plot
File photo of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
India has strongly refuted claims made by The Washington Post that an Indian intelligence officer planned the assassination of US-based Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. New Delhi has asserted that these accusations lack evidence.
A report published in The Washington Post on Sunday (Apr 28) alleged US intelligence agencies have found that the operation to kill Pannun was approved by Samant Goel, the then chief of India's spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
"The report makes unwarranted and unsubstantiated accusation on a serious matter," Ministry of External Affairs (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," Jaiswal further said.
“A government committee is actively investigating the security concerns raised by the United States regarding organised crime networks, terrorist groups, and other threats," said Jaiswal.
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He further said, “speculative and irresponsible comments on the ongoing investigation won’t be of any help.”
Assassination allegations
The US Department of Justice charged an Indian citizen in connection with an alleged assassination plot. The indictment, filed in a Manhattan federal court, alleges that an unnamed Indian government official (referred to as CC-1) recruited Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, to hire a hitman. The target, described as a Sikh separatist leader residing in the US, was never harmed due to US intervention.
Canada has also alleged that Indian government agents were involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
"The interconnectedness of organised crime, trafficking, gun running, and extremist groups poses a significant international threat. To address this complex issue, a high-level committee has been established.
"We will take decisive action based on their findings," the MEA had said in December 2023.
(With inputs from agencies)