Article Summary
Indian national Nikhil Gupta was extradited from the Czech Republic to the United States to face charges of murder for hire and conspiracy to commit murder for hire. He was recruited by an unidentified Indian government employee to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun living in New York City, but the plot was thwarted in a sting operation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. If convicted, Gupta could face up to 20 years in prison.
Pannun advocates for a sovereign Sikh state and is considered a terrorist by the Indian government. Gupta’s Czech attorney planned to file a constitutional complaint to stop the extradition, calling it a political case. The indictment alleges that Gupta contacted a criminal associate to find a hitman, who turned out to be a DEA agent.
This case is the latest in allegations of Indian government officials being complicit in attempts to kill Sikh separatist figures in North America, with similar accusations made in Canada. The Indian government has denied these allegations.