 "Matter of concern, will look into all relevant aspects: MEA on US claims on Pannun murder plot")
India on Thursday said that the case linking Indian man Nikhil Gupta to an Indian official in the failed murder plot of New York resident and Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is a “matter of concern” and asserted that this was also against the policy of the Indian government.
#WATCH | MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi says, "...During the course of discussions with the US on bilateral security cooperation, the US side shared some inputs pertaining to nexus between organised criminals, gunrunners, terrorists and other extremists. We take such inputs very… pic.twitter.com/L8ce9vXcFF
— ANI (@ANI) November 30, 2023
Addressing a press briefing on Thursday, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said,"…During the course of discussions with the US on bilateral security cooperation, the US side shared some inputs pertaining to nexus between organised criminals, gunrunners, terrorists and other extremists. We take such inputs very seriously and a high-level inquiry committee has been constituted to look into all the relevant aspects of the matter." Bagchi said necessary follow-up action will be taken based on the findings of the inquiry committee. Talking specifically about the case against Gupta that has been filed in a US court allegedly linking him to an Indian official, Bagchi said, “This is a matter of concern. We have said that this is also contrary to government policy. The nexus between organised crime, trafficking, gunrunning an extremists at an international level is a serious issue for the law enforcement agencies and organisations to consider and it is for that reason that a high-level inquiry committee has been constituted and we will be guided by its results.” As far as Canada is concerned, he said India has maintained that they have consistently given space to anti-India extremists and that is actually the heart of the issue.
#WATCH | MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi says, "In so far as Canada is concerned, we have said that they have consistently given space to anti-India extremists and that is actually the heart of the issue. Our diplomatic representatives in Canada have borne the brunt of this. So,… pic.twitter.com/9bLFO4qq56
— ANI (@ANI) November 30, 2023
“Our diplomatic representatives in Canada have borne the brunt of this. So, we expect the Government of Canada to live up to its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. We have also seen interference by Canadian diplomats in our internal affairs and that is unacceptable,” said Bagchi. On Wednesday, the US Department of Justice charged Gupta for working with an Indian government employee on a plot to assassinate a New York City resident and India-designated terrorist Pannun, “who advocated for a Sikh sovereign state in northern India”. The document did not name the “government employee”, nor did it name Pannun. It said the government employee contacted Gupta to assassinate the NY resident. The purported killer whom Gupta contacted for the killing was an undercover cop and Gupta was arrested in June this year by the Czech authorities. Earlier, the MEA had reacted to the report of the foiled bid to kill Pannun and formed a high-level enquiry committee to look into the security concerns raised by the US. Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was slain in Canada, was also mentioned in the document. Earlier reacting to the development, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Canada sought more cooperation from New Delhi in the investigation and said “India needs to take this seriously”. “The news coming out of the United States further underscores what we’ve been talking about from the very beginning, which is that India needs to take this seriously,” Reuters quoted Trudeau as saying in Ottawa. “The Indian government needs to work with us to ensure that we’re getting to the bottom of this,” he added. Trudeau had claimed that Indian agents were responsible for Nijjar’s murder but India denied this accusation and requested for evidence. As a result, India and Canada had a diplomatic spat that began to somewhat improve when India started providing visa services again in Canada. India made it apparent that Canada has not shown any proof for their allegation, and that country is prepared to assist with the investigation should proof be offered. Commenting on the India-Canada situation, Canada foreign minister Melanie Joly on Wednesday urged India to be more forthcoming in the ongoing murder investigation. “Clearly we expect more cooperation on their part and more engagement on their part,” the minister said. Canada has not yet charged anyone in the murder of Nijjar. With inputs from agencies
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