Gurpatwant Singh Pannun: India has condemned The Washington Post’s story, which identified the RAW official reportedly involved in the conspiracy to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil. The Washington Post has identified the previously unnamed officer as Vikram Yadav, who collaborated with Nikhil Gupta in an effort to assassinate Pannun. The article further claimed that RAW chief Samant Goel had approved the operation.
Response from Ministry of External Affairs
“The report in question makes unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter. There is an ongoing investigation of the High Level Committee set up by the government of India to look into the security concerns shared by the US government on networks of organised criminals, terrorists and others. Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal.
RAW Official’s Alleged Disclosure of Pannun’s Address
According to The Washington Post, Yadav shared information about Pannun, including his New York address. According to the report, Goel was under “extreme pressure to eliminate the alleged threat of Sikh extremists overseas”. The plot to assassinate Pannun coincided with the death of another Khalistani terrorist, Hardeen Singh Nijjar, in Canada.
According to the report, after increasing its “surveillance and harassment” of Sikhs and other groups considered as unfriendly to the Modo regime, several RAW and operatives have been arrested, expelled, or reprimanded in Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
White House Reaction
On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that the Indian government takes this problem very seriously. “We expect accountability from the government based on that. But we are going to continue to raise our concerns. That’s not going to stop. We’re going to continue to raise our concerns directly, with the Indian government,” the press secretary added.
