India Takes U.S. Inputs Seriously: MEA On Report Of Foiled Plot To Kill Sikh Separatist

The United States has shared some inputs pertaining to the nexus between organised criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others which India takes seriously and are already being examined, the government said.

"The inputs are a cause of concern for both countries and they decided to take necessary follow up action," the Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday.

The response came hours after the Financial Times reported that the U.S. thwarted a plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist living in America.

The MEA said the government takes "such inputs seriously" since it impinges on India's own national security interests. "Issues in the context of U.S. inputs are already being examined by relevant departments," the statement said.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an American and Canadian citizen, was the target of the conspiracy, the FT reported. Pannun is general counsel of Sikhs for Justice, an organisation that advocates for an independent Sikh state known as “Khalistan”. 

The report also said the U.S. warned the Indian government it was concerned about its involvement in the planned killing. Federal prosecutors have filed a sealed indictment against at least one alleged participant in the plot in the New York district court, it said.

However, the MEA statement did not specifically refer to the Pannun report. The ministry's official spokesperson will address the media on Thursday as part of its weekly briefing.

In September, Canada alleged involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader, which sparked diplomatic tensions between the two nations.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadian agencies have credible leads in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force, who was murdered in a Vancouver suburb. India dismissed the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”.

Pannun said that Nijjar’s murder and the reported threat to his life represent challenges to the self-determination of Canada and the U.S., reported Bloomberg.

“I trust that the Biden administration is more than capable to handle any such challenge,” he said.