US report names R&AW official in alleged plot to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun

According to a report in the Washington Post, a Research and Analysis Wing official, Vikram Yadav, allegedly ordered a hired hit team to assassinate Khalistani rebel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States.

One of the key figures in the Khalistan movement, Pannun also serves as the spokesman and legal counsel for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), an organisation that advocates for the creation of a distinct Sikh state. Pannun has been designated as a terrorist by the Indian government.

According to the document, “US intelligence agencies have assessed that the operation targeting Pannun was approved by the R&AW chief at the time, Samant Goel.”

According to the report, Yadav was returned to the CRPF after the Pannun plan was foiled last year.

Until late Monday night, the Indian government had not responded to any of the claims contained in the study.

Last year, US officials accused Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, for his alleged role in the plot. According to the indictment, Gupta was acting on behalf of CC-1, an Indian officer.

Gupta was taken into custody by US and Czech authorities in Prague last year, and he is now being held there.

India established a high-level committee in November to investigate the US-provided material on the Indian official’s role, claiming it also affected India’s security.

According to a Washington Post article citing sources and a US indictment, R&AW official Vikram Yadav, who was serving on assignment from the CRPF, reportedly sent ahead details about Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, including his residence in New York. Now, the official is back with the paramilitary unit in the centre.

According to the Washington Post, Yadav “lacked training and skills” for an operation that required facing up against highly developed US counterintelligence capabilities because of his background. Senior authorities at the US Justice Department and FBI reportedly pushed for Yadav’s prosecution, which would have linked R&AW to a conspiracy involving murder for hire.

“But while a US indictment unsealed in November contained the bombshell allegation that the plot was directed by an Indian official, it referred to Yadav as only an unnamed co-conspirator, CC-1, and made no mention of the Indian spy agency,” the statement read.

According to current and former Western security sources, higher-ranking R&AW officers have also been linked as part of an extensive probe by the CIA, FBI, and other agencies that has traced potential connections to Modi’s inner circle.