‘We’ll wait to see the results’: US on Indian govt’s inquiry into Gurpatwant Singh Pannun assassination plot

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun assassination plot: The US government has said that they are awaiting to see the results of the inquiry by the Indian government on the allegations of the assassination plot of Khalistani terrorist, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. A State Department official said that the US is taking this matter very seriously, and that India should too. This comes after a Washington Post report named a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) official for his involvement in the Pannun murder plot. 

State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters during his daily news conference on Monday, "They (Indian government) opened a committee of inquiry to look into the matter, and that work is ongoing; we'll wait to see the results. But we made it very clear that it's something that we are taking seriously and we think they, too, should take this seriously.”

Responding to a question on the allegation that Indian government officials were involved in the assassination plot of Pannun, Miller said, "And then the only thing further I would say: when it comes to the State Department, we had made it clear right when these allegations were first made public that it's something we think India should take very seriously and investigate."

He also told the reporters that he would refer to the Canadian authorities to speak on the details of the investigation there. "With respect to the indictment that was returned in the United States, I will let the Department of Justice speak on behalf of that in detail," Miller added.

The Washington Post identified the previously unnamed official as Vikram Yadav, who involved Nikhil Gupta in an assassination attempt on Pannun. The report also claimed that RAW chief Samant Goel had sanctioned the operation. The Post reported that Yadav had shared details about Pannun, including his New York address. It suggested that Goel was facing significant pressure to neutralise the perceived threat from Sikh extremists abroad.

The Indian government called the report “unwarranted and unsubstantiated”. “The report in question makes unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter. 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. Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal. 

Jaiswal said a high-level inquiry committee set up by New Delhi to look into inputs provided by the US on the alleged plot was still probing the case.