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US: Failed plot to kill Sikh leader being taken 'extremely serious.'
WEB DESK - The US has said it is taking the foiled plot to kill an Indian-American Sikh leader 'extremely seriously'. In this regard, India has also been warned about its involvement.
According to Reuters, the White House said on Wednesday that the United States has raised the issue with India at a high level.
A senior US administration official said Sikh leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, who holds dual US-Canadian citizenship, was the target of the failed plot.
Regarding the plot to kill the Sikh leader, White House spokesman Adrian Watson said that when Indian officials were informed about it, they expressed surprise and concern.
The spokesperson said that they (Indian authorities) said that this kind of action is not their policy.
According to the spokesperson, the Indian government is investigating the matter further and will discuss it further in the coming days.
"We have expressed our expectation that whoever is responsible for this should be held accountable."
The news of this incident has come after an incident that happened in Canada two months ago.
Canadian officials have said there are credible allegations linking Indian agents to the June killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nagar in suburban Vancouver. India has rejected these allegations.
The news of the failed conspiracy to kill a Sikh leader in America was reported by the newspaper 'The Financial Times' with reference to sources.
According to the news, the sources did not clarify whether this conspiracy was abandoned as a result of American protests from India or the American investigative agency FBI foiled it.
The news further said that the US protested on this issue when President Joe Biden welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on an official visit in June.
According to the news, in addition to the diplomatic warning to India, US federal prosecutors have also filed a sealed indictment against at least one suspect in a New York district court.
According to Reuters, the US Department of Justice has refused to comment on this matter.
Like Najar, the Sikh leader who was killed in Canada, Pannu in America is also demanding the creation of an independent Sikh state in the name of Khalistan.
New Delhi sees the project as a threat to India's national security in the wake of violent insurgencies in the 1970s and 1980s.
Meanwhile, India's counter-terrorism agency has registered a case against Sikh leaders on Monday.
He is accused of warning passengers on India's national carrier Air India that their lives were in danger in video messages shared on social media this month.
Pannu has denied the allegation that he had threatened violence against the airline.
When asked about the Financial Times report, Indian External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arndam Bagchi said that Washington has shared some information which is being checked by the relevant departments.
The spokesman further said that this information is related to links between organized criminals, use of weapons, terrorists and others.
"India takes such 'inputs' seriously as it also affects our national security interests," he said.
Sikh leaders have said that a threat against an American citizen on American soil is tantamount to challenging American sovereignty. He has expressed confidence that President Joe Biden's administration is fully capable of handling such a challenge.
In the past, such accusations have been made by Pakistan against India. "The Intercept" website has said with reference to Pakistan's secret intelligence analysis that the Indian intelligence agency "Research and Analyzes Wing" of neighboring countries Kashmiri. And planned to kill Sikh leaders.
Earlier, Pakistan has openly accused India of involvement in target killings and bombings, including of Chinese workers working in the country.
On the other hand, India regularly accuses Pakistan of supporting armed attacks in Kashmir under its control. Kashmir has been a bone of contention between the two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors since the partition of India in 1947.
(The content included in this article has been taken from the news agency 'Reuters')