Prosecutors in Manhattan are preparing to present new evidence in an upcoming trial that sheds light on the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia and the alleged involvement of the Indian government in orchestrating the assassination. The evidence will be part of the trial of Nikhil (Nick) Gupta, who is facing charges related to a murder-for-hire plot targeting Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Gupta, a 53-year-old individual accused of drug and firearms trafficking, was arrested in Czechia and extradited to the U.S. in June 2024. The allegations suggest that Gupta collaborated with an officer from India’s intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), named Vikash Yadav, to plan the assassination of Pannun and at least three other individuals, including Nijjar.
While India considers Pannun a terrorist, the U.S. and Canada, where Pannun holds citizenship, do not share that view. Pannun asserts that his advocacy is centered on peaceful referendums within the Sikh community worldwide.
The court filing asserts that the U.S. government possesses evidence implicating official Indian involvement in the plot to kill Nijjar. Gupta has pleaded not guilty, and the trial is scheduled to commence on November 3.
Negotiations between the Biden administration and the Modi government led to an agreement in October 2024, stipulating that Yadav would no longer serve the Indian government. This move aimed to prevent any strain on U.S.-Indian relations. By portraying Yadav as a rogue operative, India managed to avoid further scrutiny of higher-ranking officials, such as the then R&AW director, Samant Goel.
Canadian investigators have indicated that the plot extended to the upper echelons of the Indian government. The court filing also reveals Gupta’s involvement in a guns and narcotics smuggling scheme, where he allegedly promised a significant shipment of arms from India to the U.S. to his associates in New York upon completion of the assassination.
The evidence presented by the U.S. government intends to establish that the Government of India had a motive to eliminate Sikh separatists and was linked to the killings. Expert testimony from Nitasha Kaul, a professor at the University of Westminster, will shed light on the Indian government’s stance towards Pannun, Nijjar, and their organization, branding them as an existential threat.
Kaul’s testimony is expected to challenge New Delhi’s narrative of disavowal regarding the Pannun plot and the Nijjar assassination. The expert herself has faced challenges from the Modi government, having been deported from India for what she describes as “anti-India activities.”
