Who is Vikram Yadav, the ‘R&AW agent’, allegedly behind Gurpatwant Singh Pannun murder plot?

The Gurpatwant Singh Pannun alleged assassination plot is back in the news. A news report has named an official from India’s Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) to be involved in the attempt to kill Sikh extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States. Moreover, the report reveals that the operation had been sanctioned by RA&W’s then chief, Samant Goel.

What is known about this R&AW operative who ‘masterminded’ the plan to assassinate Pannun? What other details of the operation have been uncovered?

Here’s all that is known about the plot so far.

What is known about the R&AW operative?

According to Washington Post, the plan to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun was hatched by a RA&W agent, now identified as Vikram Yadav. US authorities had last year in its indictment stated that Nikhil Gupta , an Indian national, had acted on the behest of an Indian official, named as CC-1.

At present, Nikhil Gupta is lodged in a prison in Prague after he was arrested there with the US officials seeking his extradition.

In the indictment last year, US officials had said that an Indian government employee working together with others, including Gupta, in India and elsewhere, directed a plot to assassinate on US soil an attorney and political activist who is a US citizen of Indian origin residing in New York City.

And now Washington Post reports that it was Yadav, belonging to R&AW, who had forwarded details about the target, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, including his New York address.

The report adds that Yadav had been brought into R&AW midcareer from India’s Central Reserve Police Force. It further adds that it may have been for this very reason that the operation may have failed owing to his lack of training and skills required to carry out such an operation, which could go up against US’ counterintelligence capabilities.

Furthermore, after the operation failed, Washington Post citing an Indian official reports that he was moved back to the CRPF.

Yadav and Gupta, as the report states, exchanged several encrypted messages in which they devised a plan to assassinate Pannun. At one point during their plan, Gupta reached out to someone he believed was a drug and weapons dealer. However, that person was an informant for the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

And as the plan moved along, Yadav also hinted that there would be more jobs after Pannun, including one “big target” in Canada.

Approval from the higher-ups?

The report adds that while Yadav was the point person in the plan to assassinate Pannun, the operation had the blessing of the R&AW chief, who at the time was Samant Goel.

The Washington Post report further adds that “US spy agencies have more tentatively assessed that Modi’s national security adviser, Ajit Doval, was probably aware of RA&W’s plans to kill Sikh activists, but officials emphasised that no smoking gun proof has emerged”.

The American newspaper in its lengthy report states that Goel was under pressure from the Indian government to eliminate the alleged threat of Sikh extremists overseas.

In fact, Indian R&AW agents have increased surveillance of Sikhs perceived to be a threat to India’s national security in recent times, says the Washington Post report. This has led some of them being arrested, expelled or reprimanded in countries including Australia, Germany and Britain, added the report.

Former Indian officials who know Goel have even told Washington Post that he would not have proceeded with assassination plots in North America without the approval of his superior and protector.

Interestingly, Goel has a history with Sikh extremism abroad. In 2014 and 2015, he was serving as R&AW’s station chief in London. At the time, Britain’s MI5, the domestic security service, had issued warnings to Goel about R&AW’s surveillance and harassment of the Sikh population.

At the time, Goel had accused his British counterparts of being soft on Sikh activists and further added that they should be considered terrorists. It was following this episode that he returned home. However, his climb to the top of RA&W continued and he assumed the top post in 2019.

What have officials said?

It’s important to note here that neither Goel nor Doval have responded to the claims made by Washington Post.

And shortly after the Washington Post report was published, the Ministry of External Affairs (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 organised criminals, terrorists and others.

Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful.”

Meanwhile, the White House said that India is taking the allegations regarding the assassination plot of Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the US seriously. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said an investigation is underway and the Department of Justice (DOJ) is running a criminal investigation.

“So anything specific to that I would have to refer you to the DOJ,” she said.

The White House press secretary asserted that India is an important strategic partner of the United States and “we are pursuing an ambitious agenda to expand our cooperation in several areas”.

On the investigative report on alleged the assassination plot, Jean-Pierre said, “We’ve been really consistent about that and have laid that out multiple times, whether it’s a meeting here with the prime minister or a meeting abroad.”

“This is a serious matter and we’re taking that very very seriously. The Government of India has been very clear with us that they are taking this seriously and will investigate,” Jean-Pierre said.

Allegations against R&AW

This isn’t the first time that fingers have pointed to R&AW in the matter of killings on foreign soil. Earlier this month, The Guardian also published a report in which it stated that the Indian government had assassinated individuals in Pakistan as part of a wider strategy to eliminate terrorists living in foreign countries.

The report, which cited officials from both countries — India and Pakistan — as well as documents by Pakistani investigators disclosed how the Indian government carried out these killings post 2019 under the supervision of R&AW.

Even in the present Washington Post report, the American daily states that the operation to assassinate Pannun is “part of an escalating campaign of aggression by R&AW against the Indian diaspora in Asia, Europe and North America.

With inputs from agencies