The US government has prosecuted Vikas Yadav for his alleged involvement in an abortive attempt to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil.
Former Indian government official Vikas Yadav has been prosecuted by US authorities for his alleged involvement in an abortive attempt to kill Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit.
On Thursday, the Justice Department declared that 39-year-old Vikas Yadav, who worked for the cabinet secretariat—which is home to India’s foreign intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW)—would face criminal charges.
In response to a question on the individual named in the US Department of Justice’s (DoJ) indictment related to the case, spokeswoman for the external affairs ministry Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday in New Delhi that the individual is “no longer an employee of the government of India.”
Vikas Yadav is now included on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) list of “wanted” fugitives.
Who is Vikas Yadav and what are charges against him?
- Vikas Yadav is accused of “murder-for-hire and money laundering” due to his involvement in the botched attempt to assassinate Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a leading pro-Khalistan figure.
- According to the Department of Justice, he “remains at large.”
- Vikas Yadav was recently designated as a “CC-1” (co-conspirator) in the first indictment.
- FBI Director Christopher Wray stated, “The defendant, an Indian government employee, allegedly conspired with a criminal associate and attempted to assassinate a US citizen on US soil for exercising their First Amendment rights.”
- The criminal associate in question is Nikhil Gupta, who was apprehended in the Czech Republic and extradited to the United States to stand trial in connection with an alleged plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. After being extradited from the Czech Republic last year, Nikhil Gupta is currently being held in a US prison.
- US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated, “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.”
- Also, the FBI has released a “wanted” poster featuring three pictures of Vikas Yadav. The FBI claims that on October 10, a federal warrant for his arrest was issued.
- The indictment states that Vikas Yadav, also referred to as “Vikas” and “Amanat,” is the second individual indicted in relation to the case.
- Yadav has identified himself as a “senior field officer” with duties in “security management” and “intelligence,” according to the indictment. Yadav also had “officer training” in “battle craft” and “weapons” while serving in the Central Reserve Police Force of India. Yadav, an Indian citizen and resident, oversaw the plan to kill the victim in India, according to the statement.
- However, one of Vikas Yadav’s photographs shows him in Army combat uniform, but does not carry any rank epaulets. The US indictment says that he was originally from the CRPF and was an “Assistant Commandant”.
- The 18-page indictment also includes a photo of two people exchanging money in a car in New York, which federal prosecutors claimed represented the money given to the accused killer by someone acting on behalf of Vikas Yadav and Nikhil Gupta to kill the Sikh separatist leader in New York.
- The image was taken on June 9, 2023. The indictment makes no mention of the Sikh separatist’s name; he is a US citizen.
- The indictment alleges that Vikas Yadav along with his co-conspirator Nikhil Gupta plotted to kill the Sikh separatist leader in the summer of 2023. For this Nikhil Gupta hired an individual to do the kill job. The unidentified individual, who was an informant to the FBI asked for USD 100,000 for the job and received USD 15,000 as an advance payment on June 9, 2023.
What India said
The Indian government has refuted any connection to or participation in this attempt to assassinate an American citizen on US territory. In response to US accusations, New Delhi established an inquiry committee to look into the situation.
The US has expressed gratitude to India for their assistance on this.
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 happy with the collaboration. It is still a continuous process. A spokesman for the state department, Matthew Miller, told reporters on Wednesday, “We continue to work with them on that, but we do appreciate the cooperation and we appreciate them updating us on their investigation as we update them on ours.”
