US delegation visits India, discusses alleged plot to kill Sikh activist

White House Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer has led a US delegation to New Delhi, where he noted the formation of an investigative panel by India to probe an unsuccessful plot to assassinate a Sikh activist on US soil.

"Mr Finer acknowledged India's establishment of a Committee of Enquiry to investigate lethal plotting in the United States and the importance of holding accountable anyone found responsible," the White House said in a statement on Monday.

Last week, the US Justice Department alleged that an Indian government official directed an unsuccessful plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist on US soil, while it announced charges against a man accused of orchestrating the attempted murder.

US officials have named the target of the attempted murder as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist and dual citizen of the United States and Canada.

In response, India expressed concern about one of its government officials being linked to the plot, from which it dissociated itself, as being against government policy.

India said last week it would formally investigate the concerns aired by the US, and take "necessary follow-up action" on the findings of a panel set up on November 18.

The issue is highly delicate for both India and the Biden administration as they try to build closer ties in the face of an ascendant China perceived as a threat to both countries.

The delegations also discussed deepening coordination in the Indo-Pacific.

"In addition, Mr Finer conducted bilateral and regional consultations with Ambassador [Vikram] Misri, Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra for in-depth discussions aimed at strengthening coordination and policy alignment across the Indo-Pacific, including the wider Indian Ocean region," the White House statement said.

Security threats

News of the incident came two months after Canada said there were "credible" allegations linking Indian agents to the June murder of another Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in a Vancouver suburb.

India rejected the accusation as absurd, but Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat, and India responded with the same measure.

Pannun, general counsel with Sikhs for Justice, has been listed as a terrorist by the Indian government.

The organisation was banned by India in 2019.

The Indian government has long complained about the presence of Sikh separatist groups outside India.

New Delhi views them as security threats.

The groups have kept alive the movement for Khalistan, or the demand for an independent Sikh state to be carved out of India.

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Source: TRT