According to the Washington Post, citing security sources in the US and India, last June Indian intelligence planned to kill one of President Narendra Modi’s foremost critics in the US, the Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
The assassination plan first became known in November when US prosecutors indicted a 52-year-old Indian citizen.
Now the Washington Post links the assassination plot to an unnamed officer in the Indian intelligence organization RAW.
Murder in Canada
According to the newspaper, the same officer was also involved in the murder of Canadian Sikh Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver in June.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau linked Indian authorities to the incident, resulting in a diplomatic crisis between Canada and India.
Indian authorities promised to investigate the allegations, but denied that the country’s intelligence was behind it.
Very serious
A spokesperson for the Indian Foreign Ministry calls the Washington Post’s information “unjustified and unfounded” and points out that the case is still under investigation in India.
– Speculative and irresponsible comments are not helpful, says Randhir Jaiswal.
The White House takes the matter very seriously, says President Joe Biden’s spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre.
– This is a serious matter, and we take it very, very seriously, she says.
