The United States has accused an Indian man, Vikash Yadav, of plotting to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh activist who supports the idea of creating Khalistan, a separate state for Sikhs.
Yadav, who used to work for India’s intelligence agency, has been charged with planning the assassination in exchange for having a legal case against him in India dropped.
According to the BBC, this is the first time the U.S. has directly linked the Indian government to an attempt to murder a dissident.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York says Yadav gave another man, Nikhil Gupta, information about Pannun’s whereabouts in New York City.
They say the plan was to kill Pannun because of his outspoken support for Khalistan, which India strongly opposes.
The FBI stressed, as per the BBC, that they won’t allow anyone to use violence against people living in the U.S. who are exercising their free speech rights.
India, which sees Pannun as a terrorist, has said it is helping with the investigation but hasn’t specifically addressed the charges against Yadav yet.
The case is making headlines just days after Canada accused Indian agents of being involved in the killing of another Sikh separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in British Columbia.
According to the BBC, India called those allegations “ridiculous” and claims that Canada is playing politics to gain favor with its large Sikh community. However, the U.S. has urged India to cooperate with Canada’s investigation.
The BBC also notes that India has asked Canada to send back people linked to jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, accusing them of helping Indian agents commit crimes, like murder and extortion, against Khalistan supporters. Canada has yet to respond to this request.
The relationship between the two countries continues to worsen, with both sides accusing each other of wrongdoing.
Yadav is still in India, but the U.S. might try to get him extradited.
The BBC says the U.S. government is happy with India’s cooperation so far, but tensions between India and Canada remain high.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2949p14k4o