The United States has formally charged Vikash Yadav, a former officer of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), in connection with a plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader in New York City last year.
The indictment, which was made public on Thursday, accuses Yadav of orchestrating a failed murder-for-hire scheme targeting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US citizen and prominent figure in the Khalistan movement advocating for an independent Sikh state. Yadav is currently at large.
The scheme was first uncovered last year when federal prosecutors charged Nikhil Gupta, who was reportedly recruited by an Indian government official to facilitate Pannun’s assassination. FBI Director Christopher Wray stressed that the agency would not tolerate acts of violence or retribution against individuals in the US exercising their constitutionally protected rights.
Earlier this week, a group of Indian officials met with their US counterparts in Washington to discuss India’s involvement in the foiled assassination plot, with US officials describing the meeting as “productive.” Washington has urged India to investigate the claims made by the US Department of Justice regarding the assassination attempt.
The unsealing of the indictment occurs amid rising tensions between India and Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently expelled six Indian diplomats, alleging their connection to the 2023 murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another Sikh separatist leader, on Canadian territory. India has denied these allegations and retaliated by expelling Canadian diplomats.
Trudeau has accused India of infringing on Canadian sovereignty through violent actions against Sikh activists, including drive-by shootings, home invasions, extortion, and murder. These accusations have further strained India’s relations with both Canada and the United States, countries that view India as a crucial strategic ally in counterbalancing China.
India has long regarded Sikh separatists, who seek a sovereign Khalistan separate from India, as terrorists. The Khalistan movement led to a violent insurgency in the 1980s and 1990s, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths.
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