April 29th 2024.
In a shocking revelation, an investigative media report has revealed that a RAW official, identified as Vikram Yadav, was involved in an assassination plot targeting Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States. The move was allegedly approved by the then chief of the Indian spy agency, Samant Goel.
Pannun, a leader of the Khalistan movement, is also the legal advisor and spokesperson for Sikhs for Justice - an organization that advocates for a separate Sikh state. The Indian government has declared Pannun a terrorist, further intensifying the situation.
According to The Washington Post, which published the investigative report, the fact that India would carry out such a lethal operation in North America has stunned Western security officials. This is the first time that Yadav's identity and affiliation have been made public, providing concrete evidence that the assassination plan was directed by the Indian spy service.
The daily also reported that higher-ranking RAW officials have also been implicated in the plot, as part of a widespread investigation by the CIA, FBI, and other agencies. The investigation has also uncovered potential links to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's inner circle.
The Washington Post, which is now owned by American billionaire Jeff Bezos, founder and head of Amazon, is also looking into a global increase in such campaigns of cross-border repression. They are exploring the reasons behind why countries like India are resorting to tactics typically associated with the world's most repressive governments.
The newspaper's reporters conducted numerous interviews with officials, experts, and targeted individuals in various countries, including India, the United States, Canada, and Europe. According to reports that have been closely held within the American government, US intelligence agencies have assessed that the operation targeting Pannun was approved by Samant Goel during his time as RAW chief.
Former senior Indian security officials, who had knowledge of the operation, confirmed that Goel was under immense pressure to eliminate the alleged threat of Sikh extremists overseas. However, US spy agencies have only tentatively assessed that Modi's national security adviser, Ajit Doval, was aware of RAW's plans to kill Sikh activists.
The Washington Post also reveals that the foiled assassination of Pannun was part of a larger campaign of aggression by RAW against the Indian diaspora in Asia, Europe, and North America. This plot was also linked to Yadav, according to Western officials.
The report also highlights the fact that both plots took place amidst a wave of violence in Pakistan, where 11 Sikh or Kashmiri separatists living in exile and labeled as terrorists by the Modi government were killed in the past two years. Despite these serious allegations, senior Indian government officials named in the report have not responded to requests for comment.
However, when asked about the investigation into the allegations made by the US in the Pannun case, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that a high-level committee has been set up to look into the information shared by the American side. He also added that the committee is currently investigating these aspects.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has stressed that India's national security interests are involved in the investigation into the alleged involvement of a government official in the assassination plot aimed at Khalistani extremist Pannun. The Washington Post also reported that the Biden administration has not yet made any charges against Yadav.
The National Security Council spokesperson stated that charging decisions are solely the prerogative of law enforcement and that the Biden NSC has respected this independence rigorously. So far, the only US charges made public are against Nikhil Gupta, an alleged middleman who has been described as an Indian drug and weapons trafficker hired to carry out the assassination. Gupta, who has denied the charges, was arrested in Prague and is currently in prison awaiting a Czech court ruling on the US request for his extradition.
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