New Delhi: The charges filed in a US federal court linking the accused, Indian national Nikhil Gupta, with an Indian government official in an alleged plot to murder “Khalistani” extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US citizen, are a “matter of concern” for India and it was against government policy (to carry out such plots or killings), the Indian government said on Thursday.
MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said: “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. We have said, and let me reiterate, that this is also contrary to government policy.”
He added: “As we have informed earlier, during the course of discussions with the US on bilateral security cooperation, the US side shared some inputs about the nexus between organised criminals, gun-runners, terrorists, and others. We take such inputs seriously, and a high-level inquiry committee has been constituted to look into all the relevant aspects of the matter and necessary follow-up action will be taken based on the findings of the inquiry committee… We can’t share any further information on security matters.”
The MEA spokesperson further said: “The nexus between organised crime, trafficking, gun-running, and extremists at an international level is also a serious issue for law enforcement agencies to consider. It is precisely for this reason that a high-level inquiry committee has been constituted. We will be guided by its results.”
In a sensational turn of events late on Wednesday night, the US authorities had accused an “Indian government employee” based in India of directing the alleged plot to kill Pannun. The Indian government employee is reported to have described himself as a “senior field officer” who claimed to have served earlier in India’s CRPF paramilitary force. In the plot, the Indian government employee is alleged to have directed Gupta, who was arrested by the Czech authorities in June this year.
