‘Unsubstantiated’ charge: India on report naming RAW officer in alleged plot to kill Sikh separatist
‘The Washington Post’ identified Vikram Yadav as the official allegedly involved in the alleged plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday described as “unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations” a report by The Washington Post naming a Research and Analysis Wing officer for alleged involvement in an alleged plot to assassinate Sikh separatist leaders in North America.
The report published on Monday identified Vikram Yadav as the officer of India’s foreign intelligence agency allegedly involved in the alleged plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States and in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another Sikh separatist leader, in Canada in June.
Responding to the allegations on Tuesday, the external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “The report in question makes unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter.”
He added that a high level committee set up by the Indian government is looking into the security concerns shared by the United States government on networks of organised criminals, terrorists and others. “Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful,” Jaiswal said.
The Washington Post’s report is the first time that allegations have emerged about the identity and affiliation of an individual from within the Research and Analysis Wing in the case related to Pannun.
In March, Bloomberg had reported that New Delhi’s investigation into the claims by Washington had found that rogue officials not authorised by the Indian government had been involved in the alleged plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist in the United States.
In late December, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told the Financial Times that he would look into the evidence, but a “few incidents” would not harm relations between New Delhi and Washington.
“If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it,” Modi had told the newspaper. “If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law.”
What did the report say?
The report cited assessments of American intelligence agencies that the operation against Pannun had been cleared by Samant Goel, the chief of the India’s foreign intelligence agency at the time. The article was based on interviews with three dozen current and former unidentified senior officials in the United States, India, Canada, Britain, Germany and Australia.
The United States’ spy agencies also “more tentatively assessed” that India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was likely to have known about the plans of the Research and Analysis Wing, according to The Washington Post. However, the newspaper quoted unidentified officials as saying that “no smoking gun proof” had emerged.
Officers at the United States’ Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the country’s principal federal law enforcement agency, had sought to prosecute Yadav, the report added. However, an indictment that became public in November referred to Yadav only as an unidentified co-conspirator “CC-1” and left out any mention of the Research and Analysis Wing.
American officials told their Indian counterparts that they would not take punitive measures but urged New Delhi to hold those involved accountable, according to The Washington Post. This message was also emphasised in September during a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President Joe Biden.
India’s Spy Chief Cleared Plot to Kill Sikh Activist, Post Says
, Bloomberg News
(Bloomberg) -- An alleged plot to kill a US citizen and Sikh activist on American soil last year was approved by senior-level members of India’s intelligence agency, including its chief at the time, the Washington Post reported, citing people familiar with the matter it didn’t identify.
The alleged plan to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun was cleared by the former head of the Research and Analysis Wing, India’s spy agency, while other high-ranking RAW officials have also been implicated, the newspaper reported Monday.
US intelligence agencies also tentatively found that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s national security adviser was probably aware of RAW’s plan, although officials told the newspaper there was no smoking gun evidence that’s emerged.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment on the report when contacted by Bloomberg News.
The allegations in the Post run counter to the findings from India’s high-level committee set up to investigate the case. The findings haven’t been made public, however Bloomberg News previously reported the committee found rogue operatives not authorized by the government were involved in the plot.
In its report, the Post named the agent who allegedly directed the assassination, as well as the chief of RAW at the time and Modi’s security adviser. The newspaper wasn’t able to contact the agent, and the other two people didn’t respond to calls or text messages, it said.
News of the alleged plot against Pannun, which US officials said was thwarted, followed the June shooting death in Canada of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. That operation was also linked to the RAW, the Post reported. India has described both men as terrorists.
So far, only one person had been publicly charged in connection with the alleged plot against Pannun: Nikhil Gupta, an alleged middleman who was tasked with hiring a contract killer to assassinate Pannun, according to a US indictment. Gupta, an Indian national, was arrested in Prague last year and US officials are seeking his extradition.
News of the alleged plot against Pannun have presented a challenge for Biden administration officials, who have been working to cultivate India as a partner in the region as a counterweight to China. Since the case came to light, officials in both India and the US have downplayed the significance of the allegations and have continued to hold high-profile meetings on trade and other issues.
US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said recently he was pleased with India’s progress in its investigation, and the issue wouldn’t hamper relations between the two countries.
--With assistance from Sudhi Ranjan Sen.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
Modi’s ‘inner circle’ implicated in murder plots abroad
Our Correspondent
WASHINGTON: Even as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was basking in American adulation, “an officer in India’s intelligence service was relaying final instructions to a hired hit team to kill one of Modi’s most vocal critics in the United States,” The Washington Post reported on Monday, painting a damning picture of New Delhi’s operations on foreign soil and the complicity of its top leadership in such transnational suppression.
According to The Post, Vikram Yadav, an officer in India’s spy agency RAW, sent out instructions to a hired hit team while Modi was being lavishly entertained at the White House last year.
Higher-ranking RAW officials have also been implicated, according to current and former Western security officials, as part of a sprawling investigation by the CIA, FBI and other agencies that has mapped potential links to Modi’s inner circle.
Quoting reports that have been “closely held within the American government”, The Post said that US intelligence agencies have assessed that the operation targeting Pannun was approved by the RAW chief at the time, Samant Goel.
Washington Post investigation details how ‘hit-men’ were hired by RAW agents to assassinate dissidents on US soil
“The assassination is a priority now,” Yadav said, urging operatives to target and kill Sikh activists in North America.
“India’s assassination plots in the United States and Canada are part of an expanding wave of aggression against dissident groups seeking protection in other countries,” The Post noted.
The report interpreted Yadav’s memo as indicating that the Indian government was “increasingly willing” to “disregard the sovereignty of the host nations and send agents across borders to subdue political enemies”.
Yadav forwarded details about the target, Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, including his New York address. As soon as the would-be assassins could confirm that Pannun, a US citizen, was home, “it will be a go ahead from us,” said the memo quoted in the report.
The report also claimed that US spy agencies had assessed that Modi’s national security adviser, Ajit Doval, was probably aware of RAW’s plans to kill Sikh activists, but officials emphasised that no smoking gun evidence had emerged. Neither Doval nor Goel responded to The Post’s calls and text messages seeking comment.
The report also uncovered shocking details of alleged assassination plots orchestrated by RAW agents, also targeting Modi’s critics living in the United States and Canada, shedding light on the lengths to which India went to suppress dissent beyond its borders and the diplomatic fallout that ensued.
The US operation shows how RAW tried to export tactics it has used for years in countries neighboring India, officials said, including the use of criminal syndicates for operations it doesn’t want traced to New Delhi, The Post said.
The Post’s investigation, based on interviews with numerous officials and experts across several countries, highlighted the escalating campaign of aggression by RAW against the Indian diaspora worldwide. Sikhs have been targeted due to their perceived disloyalty to Modi government.
Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2024
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