US accuses Indian official of conspiring to murder American
Illustrative photo (Getty Images)
US prosecutors have charged an Indian government official with orchestrating a failed plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist holding US citizenship in New York. The case has strained relations between the US and India and draws parallels to a 2023 killing in Canada, reports Bloomberg.
Vikash Yadav, 39, has been added to the criminal case against 53-year-old Nikhil Gupta. Last year, Gupta was charged with collaborating with an Indian government agent to kill a lawyer who was allegedly an activist in the global movement advocating for an independent Sikh homeland in India.
According to the indictment, Yadav resided in India and directed the assassination plot from India.
Gupta, arrested in Czechia and extradited to the US, was reportedly recruited by an Indian official who described himself as a senior field officer responsible for security management and intelligence. This official, whose name was not initially mentioned in the charges against Gupta, was identified as Yadav in the indictment issued on Thursday.
Prosecutors stated that Yadav works in India’s Cabinet Secretariat, home to the country’s external intelligence service.
Yadav and Gupta are charged with murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to launder money.
Gupta, who remains in custody without bail, has pleaded not guilty.
On Monday, Canada accused the Indian government of involvement in murder and extortion aimed at silencing critics of India residing in Canada. The conflict stems from the killing of a Sikh activist last year.
