The US on Thursday (Nov 30) praised India for taking note of Washington’s ‘very serious’ concerns over an alleged plot to kill separatist Sikh leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, listed as a terrorist in India, over his espousal of separatism in Indian state of Punjab for a separate Sikh state, a cause widely denounced in India.
The US arrested an Indian national whom Washington alleged, hired someone in the United States to assassinate Pannun.
An unnamed Indian official appeared in an indictment filed by federal prosecutors in a Manhattan court on Wednesday along with the said Indian national.
“These allegations in this investigation, (we) take it very seriously. And we’re glad to see that the Indians are too by announcing their own efforts to investigate this. And we’ve been clear that we want to see anybody that’s responsible for these alleged crimes to be held properly accountable,” John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, told reporters at a news conference.
The White House spokesperson, while referring to the strategic ties between Washington and New Delhi, said that the row will not have an impact on larger India-US ties.
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“I want to be careful here that I don’t get ahead of the Department of Justice and talk about an ongoing investigation. I would just say two things. India remains a strategic partner and we’re going to continue to work to improve and strengthen that strategic partnership with India. At the same time, we take this very seriously,” Kirby said in response to a question.
The Department of Justice, in an indictment charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta with conspiracy to commit murder for hire for his alleged role in the plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Gupta is accused of working with an Indian government employee to recruit and pay an assassin to carry out the killing.
(With inputs from agencies)
