US Justice Department accuses ex-RAW agent Vikas Yadav of conspiracy to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun

The US Department of Justice has accused former Indian intelligence officer Vikas of allegedly planning the murder of Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

The development occurred just hours after India and the United States confirmed for the first time that an individual referred to as “CC1” in the US Department of Justice (DOJ) indictment — connected to an alleged plot to assassinate US-based Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun — was no longer an employee of the Indian government.

The US is presently prosecuting Nikhil Gupta, who was repatriated to the US in June this year after being caught in Prague a year before.

According to the DOJ, Nikhil Gupta was approached by an Indian government employee — named only as CC1 in the indictment — to hire a hitman to carry out the assassination, which was thwarted by US officials.

The indictment document stated that Yadav was a former member of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) spy agency in India.

The US claimed that India-designated terrorist Pannun, a dual citizen of the US and Canada, was the target of an attempted assassination plan carried out by Indian agents.

Yadav, who is allegedly no longer employed by the government, is accused of three crimes, including conspiracy to commit money laundering and murder-for-hire.

He "remains at large," said the Department of Justice.

"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," said Christopher Mueller, Director of the FBI.

The indictment, starting in May 2023, said Yadav — who was then just referred to as an employee of the Indian government — collaborated with people both domestically and internationally to plan Pannun's assassination.

Sikh separatists have been labeled as "terrorists" and threats to Indian security.

Yadav recruited Gupta “to orchestrate the assassination of the victim in the United States," the indictment, issued in federal court in Manhattan claimed.

In June 2023, Gupta left India for Prague, where he was detained by Czech officials and then extradited to the United States, where he pleaded not guilty in court.

“Today’s charges demonstrate that the Justice Department will not tolerate attempts to target and endanger Americans and to undermine the rights to which every US citizen is entitled,” said US Attorney General Merrick B Garland.

Recently, an Indian committee visited the US to examine the evidence provided by the American government concerning the purported involvement of an Indian official and Indian national Nikhil Gupta in the assassination attempt of Pannun.

The high-level Indian inquiry committee's visit to the US was confirmed by the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

The Indian government has refuted any connection to or participation in this attempt to assassinate an American citizen.

Meanwhile, the US has expressed gratitude to India for their assistance in this matter.

Within 48 hours of an Indian Enquiry Committee visiting the US to meet with an interagency team of representatives from the FBI, Department of Justice, and State Department on these matters, the second indictment was unsealed.

“We are satisfied with the cooperation. It continues to be an ongoing process. We continue to work with them on that. Still, we do appreciate the cooperation, and we appreciate them updating us on their investigation as we update them on ours,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said.