The U.S. Justice Department revealed on Thursday an indictment against a former Indian intelligence officer who is accused of directing a failed assassination attempt in New York City aimed at a Sikh American who has openly criticized the Indian government.

Vikash Yadav, aged 39, has been charged with leading the effort to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen and a leader of the Sikh separatist movement, in the previous year. At the time, Yadav worked with the Research and Analysis Wing, which is India’s foreign intelligence agency, as stated by the prosecutors.

“The Justice Department is committed to ensuring accountability for anyone, irrespective of their status or power, who tries to harm or silence American citizens,” declared Attorney General Merrick Garland.

This announcement followed a meeting in Washington where U.S. officials conferred with an Indian government committee investigating the alleged Indian role in the thwarted assassination attempt. Recently, Canada expelled certain Indian diplomats believed to be connected to the murder of another Sikh separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, on Canadian territory. India retaliated by expelling Canadian diplomats and refuted Canada’s claims.

Details of the assassination plan emerge

According to the indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Yadav orchestrated the murder plot from India in May 2023. The Justice Department noted that Yadav is no longer in the employment of the Indian government and remains at large.

In the same month, Yadav enlisted the help of Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national aged 53, to facilitate the assassination in return for dismissing a criminal case against Gupta in India. Gupta accepted the offer, and by the end of May, Yadav informed him that the case was resolved and proposed a meeting between Gupta and an Indian deputy police commissioner, as per court documents.

Guided by Yadav, Gupta got in touch with an acquaintance, who turned out to be a confidential informant working alongside the Drug Enforcement Administration. This source introduced Yadav to someone believed to be a hitman, who was actually an undercover DEA agent. Yadav and Gupta then made arrangements to pay $15,000 to the undercover source as a down payment for the assassination.

Gupta instructed the undercover agent to postpone the assassination during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the U.S. in late June 2023.

U.S. intelligence reviews have found that high-ranking officials in Modi’s government likely approved the alleged scheme, as reported by the Washington Post earlier this year. India’s Ministry of External Affairs, however, has stated that such targeted killings are “not our policy.”

The indictment also mentions the shooting of Nijjar by masked assailants in Canada last June. Yadav reportedly indicated that Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader and Canadian citizen, had been marked as a target too, adding that there was “no need to wait” to act against Pannun.

Officials allege that Yadav and his accomplices gathered personal details about Pannun, including his home address, contact numbers, and daily activities.

On June 30, 2023, Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic and extradited to the U.S.

Additionally, Yadav is said to have been planning three more killings in Canada, as per court records.

Yadav faces serious charges including murder for hire, conspiracy to commit murder for hire, and conspiracy to engage in money laundering, all of which could result in a maximum prison sentence of 40 years.

“Today’s charges exemplify the rising trend of violent plots and other forms of cross-border oppression targeting diaspora communities in the U.S.,” stated Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen from the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

The court records did not list an attorney representing Yadav as of Thursday. The Indian Embassy in Washington D.C. has yet to respond to requests for comment from YSL News.

Murder plot target reacts

In response to the Justice Department’s announcement, Pannun stated that the charges against Yadav confirm the U.S. government’s dedication to upholding the constitutional responsibility to safeguard the lives, freedoms, and expressions of its citizens, whether domestically or abroad.

Pannun serves as the general counsel for Sikhs for Justice, an organization advocating for the secession of Punjab—a state in northern India with a significant Sikh population—into an independent nation known as Khalistan. Sikhs represent a minority community in India.

“The attempt on my life on American soil is a clear indication of India’s transnational terrorism that challenges America’s sovereignty and threatens freedom of speech and democracy, underscoring that India resorts to violence, while pro-Khalistan Sikhs embrace democracy,” Pannun remarked.