Last Updated: December 01, 2023, 10:10 IST
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
This plot issue will not have an impact on the India-US relationship, said John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House. (Reuters)
US emphasises strategic partnership with India amid serious allegations. Commitment to investigate ‘plot-to-kill’ case for accountability.
The United States has welcomed India’s decision to announce a high-level probe into its allegations that an Indian official was involved in a foiled plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist on American soil.
US federal prosecutors this week charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta with working with an Indian government employee in the foiled plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh extremist who is an American and Canadian citizen. An unnamed Indian official also appeared in an indictment filed in a Manhattan court on Wednesday.
“These allegations in this investigation, (we) take it very seriously. And we’re glad to see that the Indians are too announcing their own efforts to investigate this. And we’ve been clear that we want to see anybody that’s responsible for these alleged crimes to be held properly accountable,” John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, told reporters at a news conference here.
‘I want to be careful here’
“I want to be careful here that I don’t get ahead of the Department of Justice and talk about an ongoing investigation. I would just say two things. India remains a strategic partner and we’re going to continue to work to improve and strengthen that strategic partnership with India. At the same time, we take this very seriously,” Kirby said in response to a question.
On his way to Israel, US State Secretary Antony Blinken echoed the same sentiment. “The government (of India) announced today that it was conducting an investigation, and that’s good and appropriate, and we look forward to seeing the results,” Blinken told reporters travelling with him in Tel Aviv, on Thursday. “So you’ll understand I can’t comment on it in detail. I can say that this is something we take very seriously. A number of us have raised this directly with the Indian Government in past weeks,” he added.
‘Matter of concern’
India on Thursday described as a “matter of concern” the US charging an Indian national and asserted that a high-level probe committee will investigate all aspects of the case. New Delhi has constituted a probe team to probe allegations relating to the foiled plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh extremist and known to be an American and Canadian citizen.
“As regards the case against an individual that has been filed in a US court allegedly linking him to an Indian official, this is a matter of concern,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. “We have said and let me reiterate that this is also contrary to government policy,” he said at a weekly media briefing.
‘We take such inputs very seriously’
Bagchi said the US side shared some “inputs” regarding criminal nexus and that India takes such inputs seriously since they impinge on “our national security interests as well” and that relevant departments were examining the issue. “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,” he said. “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,” he said. Bagchi said India will take necessary follow-up action based on the findings of the enquiry committee.
(With agency inputs)
