Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has filed a civil lawsuit in a US court, accusing the Indian government of conspiring to assassinate him. In response, the District Court for the Southern District of New York has issued a summons to the Indian government, according to NDTV. The summons requires the Indian government to respond within 21 days.
In addition to the Indian government, the lawsuit names several individuals, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, former R&AW chief Samant Goel, R&AW agent Vikram Yadav, and Indian businessman Nikhil Gupta.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, leader of the radical group Sikhs for Justice, posted a copy of the summons on his social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), though the post has since been withheld. The Indian government’s response to the summons is still pending.
A report from the Financial Times revealed that the US had foiled a plot last year to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who holds dual citizenship in the US and Canada. The development was later confirmed by the administration of US President Joe Biden.
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Responding to the critical issue, the Ministry of External Affairs noted that it is a “matter of concern” and asserted that India has launched a high-level probe. Former MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said, “As regards the case against an individual that has been filed in a US court, allegedly linking him to an Indian official, this is a matter of concern. We have said that this is also contrary to government policy,” the NDTV report said.
Nikhil Gupta, the Indian businessman accused of plotting the assassination of the Khalistani separatist, pleaded not guilty in a federal court following his extradition from the Czech Republic, where he was arrested last year. Court documents reveal that Gupta has an intelligence background and is referred to as a “senior field officer” with the code CC-1.
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