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Bagchi: Inclusion of Indian official’s name in US indictment is matter of concern: MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi | India News
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NEW DELHI: In the latest development, external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Thursday expressed India’s deep concern over a case filed in a US court linking an individual to an Indian official. Bagchi emphasized that this development is contrary to government policy and warrants serious attention.
“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 that this is also contrary to government policy,” said Bagchi.
The spokesperson also shed light on the broader issue, highlighting the interconnectedness of organized crime, trafficking, gunrunning, and extremism at an international level. Recognizing the severity of this matter, Bagchi said that a high-level inquiry committee has been constituted to delve into the intricacies of these connections.
This comes in the wake of discussions with the United States on bilateral security cooperation, during which the US shared crucial inputs pertaining to these interconnected criminal activities.
“The nexus between organised crime, trafficking, gunrunning and extremists at an international level is a serious issue for the law enforcement agencies and organisations to consider and it is for that reason that a high-level inquiry committee has been constituted and we will be guided by its results,” Bagchi said.
This follows a Financial Times report last week that US authorities foiled a plot to kill Pannun, and issued a warning to the Indian government. US prosecutors on Wednesday charged an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, with murder-for-hire, accusing him of paying a hitman to kill Khalistani extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The US national, Gupta‘s alleged associate, has not been named in the indictment.
Who is Pannun?
Pannun, a dual citizen of US and Canada, is a leader of the so-called ‘Sikhs for Justice’. He is wanted by Indian probe agencies on various terror charges.
He has been listed as a terrorist by the Indian government. His organisation was banned by India in 2019.
Earlier this month, Pannun threatened to target Air India flights on November 19 – the date of the cricket World Cup final in Ahmedabad. It was also the birth anniversary of former Indian PM Indira Gandhi.
(With inputs from agencies)
“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 that this is also contrary to government policy,” said Bagchi.
The spokesperson also shed light on the broader issue, highlighting the interconnectedness of organized crime, trafficking, gunrunning, and extremism at an international level. Recognizing the severity of this matter, Bagchi said that a high-level inquiry committee has been constituted to delve into the intricacies of these connections.
This comes in the wake of discussions with the United States on bilateral security cooperation, during which the US shared crucial inputs pertaining to these interconnected criminal activities.
“The nexus between organised crime, trafficking, gunrunning and extremists at an international level is a serious issue for the law enforcement agencies and organisations to consider and it is for that reason that a high-level inquiry committee has been constituted and we will be guided by its results,” Bagchi said.
This follows a Financial Times report last week that US authorities foiled a plot to kill Pannun, and issued a warning to the Indian government. US prosecutors on Wednesday charged an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, with murder-for-hire, accusing him of paying a hitman to kill Khalistani extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The US national, Gupta‘s alleged associate, has not been named in the indictment.
Who is Pannun?
Pannun, a dual citizen of US and Canada, is a leader of the so-called ‘Sikhs for Justice’. He is wanted by Indian probe agencies on various terror charges.
He has been listed as a terrorist by the Indian government. His organisation was banned by India in 2019.
Earlier this month, Pannun threatened to target Air India flights on November 19 – the date of the cricket World Cup final in Ahmedabad. It was also the birth anniversary of former Indian PM Indira Gandhi.
(With inputs from agencies)
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