Nikhil Gupta admits to three criminal charges linked to failed Delhi-backed plot to assassinate Sikh separatist
Nikhil Gupta, accused of plotting to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, in New York, United States, June 17, 2024, in this courtroom sketch. PHOTO: REUTERS
NEW YORK:
An Indian man accused of masterminding a failed Indian government-backed plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist in New York pleaded guilty Friday to three criminal charges, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan said.
Nikhil Gupta, 54, admitted murder for hire, conspiracy to commit murder for hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering, offenses which carry a combined maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
Gupta entered the plea before U.S. Judge Sarah Netburn in federal court in Manhattan. He has been detained in Brooklyn since his extradition in June 2024 from the Czech Republic, where he was arrested a year earlier. He initially pleaded not guilty.
U.S. prosecutors say Gupta conspired with an Indian government official to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a U.S. resident and dual U.S.-Canadian citizen who advocated for a sovereign Sikh state in northern India.
India has denied any involvement, saying such actions go against government policy. However, revelations of alleged assassination plots targeting Sikh separatists in the United States and Canada have strained diplomatic relations.
Last year, the Washington Post reported that an officer from India’s intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing, was directly involved in the foiled plan, identifying Vikram Yadav as having assembled a “kill team.”
In April 2024, the newspaper said the White House considered the matter serious, with then-spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre telling reporters: “This is a serious matter.” The report also cited RAW’s alleged involvement in another murder of a Sikh leader in Canada and described Pannun as one of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s most vocal critics abroad.
Pannun is general counsel for Sikhs for Justice, which India labeled an “unlawful association” in 2019 before labeling him an “individual terrorist” in 2020.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had previously accused New Delhi of being involved in the murder of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, allegations rejected by India, triggering visa restrictions and diplomatic withdrawals. Canada then suspended free trade negotiations.
Separately, The Guardian earlier reported that RAW agents were allegedly linked to as many as 20 extrajudicial killings in Pakistan since 2020.
(Reuters with contribution from the information desk)
