The United States has charged a former Indian intelligence officer, Vikash Yadav, for allegedly orchestrating a failed plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader in New York City last year. The indictment, unsealed on Thursday, reveals that Yadav, who remains at large, was previously an officer in India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) intelligence service.
The plot came to light last year when federal prosecutors charged Nikhil Gupta, a man recruited by an unnamed Indian government official, with planning the murder of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist leader and US citizen.
FBI Director Christopher Wray stated, “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.”
On Tuesday, a committee from India met with US officials in Washington to discuss the incident, which US authorities called a productive meeting. The US has been urging India to investigate the allegations that an Indian intelligence officer was behind the assassination plot.
The unsealing of Yadav’s indictment came shortly after diplomatic tensions between Canada and India escalated, with Canada expelling six Indian diplomats over accusations linking India to the 2023 murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. In response, India expelled Canadian diplomats and denied the allegations.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of violating Canadian sovereignty, claiming that Indian officials were involved in a violent campaign against Sikh activists, including incidents such as drive-by shootings, home invasions, and extortion across Canada.
The accusations have strained relations between Washington, Ottawa, and India, a country seen as a key counterbalance to China. India has labeled Sikh separatists as “terrorists” and views them as a threat to national security, given the violent insurgency during the 1980s and 1990s, which resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.