US Charges Indian Government Employee On Murder Plot

The United States has filed charges against an Indian government employee involved in a failed plot to kill an American citizen, who is a prominent advocate for Sikh separatism in New York.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Thursday that it filed “murder-for-hire and money laundering charges” against Vikash Yadav.

“The defendant (Yadav), an Indian government employee, allegedly conspired with a criminal associate and attempted to assassinate a US citizen on American soil for exercising their First Amendment rights,” Christopher Wray, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), said in a statement.

It said; “The FBI will not tolerate acts of violence or other efforts to retaliate against those residing in the US for exercising their constitutionally protected rights.”

India’s Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday that Yadav was no longer employed by the government.

India has previously rejected accusations that a government agent was involved in the murder plot as “unwarranted” and “unsubstantiated”, according to media reports.

The case revolves around an alleged scheme to kill Sikh American activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

Pannun, the legal adviser for the group Sikhs for Justice, is a vocal member of a Sikh campaign for a sovereign state in India’s Punjab region, known as the Khalistan movement.

India views Sikh separatism as a threat to its sovereignty. Over the past few years, the country has been increasingly vocal in demanding that allied countries with sizable Sikh populations — notably Canada, the US and the United Kingdom — do more to crack down on the movement.

But Sikh community leaders have accused India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist, of trying to stifle dissent, both in India and abroad.

In the hours before Thursday’s charges were announced, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), a nonprofit, called on Washington to take “urgent action” to address a campaign of “transnational repression”.

“In the United States, Sikh Americans and other diaspora communities continue to face the threat of transnational repression,” the group said in a statement.

“Whether it be surveillance, intimidation, or targeted violence, foreign governments have sought to stifle free speech and political dissent within our borders. This is unacceptable in a country that stands for freedom and human rights.”

Freedom Of Expression
In a statement on Thursday evening, Sikhs for Justice — Pannun’s group — said the new US indictment demonstrated Washington’s “commitment to protect the life, liberty and freedom of expression of the US Citizen at home and abroad.”

The organisation promised to continue to advocate for Khalistan, including by organising non-binding votes in the Sikh diaspora on the question of a sovereign state in Punjab.

“Despite India’s use of violence against pro Khalistan Sikhs, [Sikhs for Justice] is committed to democratically resolve the dispute over the sovereignty of Indian occupied Punjab through the means of Referendum,” the statement said.

The US State Department said earlier this week that an Indian committee of inquiry, tasked with investigating the foiled murder plot, had travelled to Washington, DC, to discuss the case and receive an update from American officials.

“India has informed the United States they are continuing their efforts to investigate other linkages of the former government employee and will determine follow-up steps, as necessary,” the department said on Tuesday.

Al Jazeera/ Ejiofor Ezeifeoma