Hardeep Singh Nijjar 'was also a target': Nikhil Gupta tells undercover US officer
PTC Web Desk: Indian national Nikhil Gupta has admitted in a United States court to his involvement in a foiled conspiracy to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. According to American prosecutors, Gupta allegedly told an undercover US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officer that Hardeep Singh Nijjar “was also a target” just a day after Nijjar was shot dead in Canada.
Nijjar, a Canadian citizen who had been designated a terrorist by the Indian government over alleged pro-Khalistan activities, was killed by unidentified gunmen in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.
Court filings cited by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) state that on or around June 19, 2023, a day after Nijjar’s killing, Gupta informed an undercover DEA agent that Nijjar had also been on their list. He allegedly added, “We have so many targets.” The DoJ identified Nijjar as an associate of Pannun, who heads the banned organisation Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).
In its statement, the DoJ described Pannun as a vocal critic of the Indian government and the leader of a US-based group advocating for Punjab’s secession and the creation of an independent Sikh state, Khalistan.
US prosecutors have further alleged that Gupta initially instructed the undercover operative to avoid executing the assassination of Pannun during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington in June 2023. However, after Nijjar’s killing, which occurred two days before the visit, Gupta reportedly indicated there was no longer a need to postpone the planned attack.
The DoJ has claimed that Gupta coordinated with individuals in India and elsewhere, including co-accused Vikash Yadav. Yadav has been described in the indictment as an employee of India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which oversees the country’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
According to prosecutors, Yadav directed Gupta to arrange a contract killing in New York City. Gupta allegedly contacted a person he believed to be a criminal associate, who was in reality a confidential DEA source. That source then introduced Gupta to a supposed hitman, actually an undercover DEA officer.
US authorities have alleged that Yadav agreed, through Gupta, to pay $100,000 for the assassination, with $15,000 reportedly handed over in cash as an advance payment in June 2023. Investigators claim that sensitive details of the intended target, including residential address, contact information and daily routines, were shared with the undercover officer. Surveillance photographs and periodic updates were also allegedly provided.
Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30, 2023, and later extradited to the United States. He has since pleaded guilty to charges related to the alleged murder-for-hire conspiracy.
- With inputs from agencies
