US reacts to report on Pannun assassination plot
What's the story
The United States is "regularly working" with India in its investigation into the allegations related to the plot to assassinate pro-Khalistan leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US State Department official said. This came a day after the Ministry of External Affairs commented on a report by The Washington Post, stating that it contains "unwarranted...unsubstantiated imputations" in connection with the alleged involvement of Indian agents in the plot to kill Pannun. To recall, India declared Pannun a designated terrorist in 2020.
Official statement
Expect accountability from India: Patel
Principal Deputy Spokesperson of US State Department Vedant Patel addressed the issue during his daily news conference. "We continue to expect accountability from...India based on the results of the Indian inquiry committee's work, and we are regularly working with them and enquiring for additional updates," he said. In a report, dated April 29, the United States newspaper claimed that the former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing, Samant Goel, approved the alleged plot to kill Pannun.
Allegations
Report links ex-RAW official to assassination plots
The report implicated Vikram Yadav, a former RAW official, in orchestrating plots to assassinate Sikh extremists abroad—including the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in June 2023. The article claimed that Yadav's actions were approved by Goel. The US first mentioned the link between Yadav and the "plots" to the Indian government in August 2023, and later President Joe Biden discussed it with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the former's visit to India last September, said the report.
India's response
Ongoing investigation into security concerns
In a statement released on Tuesday, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "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 organized criminals, terrorists and others. Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful," he added.
Twitter Post
Read MEA's statement here
Our response to media queries on a story in The Washington Post:https://t.co/ifYYng7CT3 pic.twitter.com/LEIso6euN6
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) April 30, 2024