- Thursday, September 19, 2024
The Sikh separatist leader filed a civil lawsuit in a US federal district court demanding damages for the alleged foiled attempt to kill him on American soil last year
By: Shajil Kumar
INDIA on Thursday described as completely “unwarranted and unsubstantiated” imputations a lawsuit filed against the Indian government in a court in the US by Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Pannun, who heads the radical group Sikhs for Justice, filed the civil lawsuit in a US federal district court demanding damages for the alleged foiled attempt to kill him on American soil last year.
In November last year, US federal prosecutors charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta of working with an Indian government employee in the foiled plot to kill Pannun in New York.
Pannun, wanted in India on terror charges, holds dual citizenship of the US and Canada.
“As we’ve said earlier, these are completely unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations. Now that this particular case has been lodged, it doesn’t change our views about the underlying situation,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said.
“I would only invite your attention to the person behind this particular case whose antecedents are well known,” he said.
The foreign secretary’s remarks came at a press conference in response to a question on the lawsuit filed by Pannun.
“I would also underline the fact that the organisation — so-called that this person represents — is an unlawful organisation, has been declared as such under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act of 1967 and it has been done so on account of its involvement in anti-national and subversive activities aimed at disrupting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India,” Misri said.
“I do not want to say anything more than that at this point in time. I think that speaks for itself,” he said.
The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in a district court in New York. The case is against the government of India, NSA Ajit Doval, former R&AW chief Samant Goel, senior security official Vikram Yadav, and Nikhil Gupta.
Assassination plot
Following the allegations by the US, India appointed a high-level inquiry committee to look into the inputs provided by the US on the plot.
In April, The Washington Post named an Indian official for allegedly plotting to assassinate Pannun on American soil.
Asked about the high-level committee appointed to probe the allegations in the foiled plot case, Misri said relevant agencies of the two countries are engaged on the matter.
“When these issues were first brought to our attention, we have taken certain action and these issues including the allegations are being inquired into by a high-level committee and the relevant agencies on both sides have engaged on this,” he said.
When asked if the Khalistan issue will be discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Quad summit on Saturday in Wilmington, Misri did not give a direct reply.
“As we have said earlier, whatever issues are of mutual concern between India and America, we discuss them all. Whether any specific issue will be raised or not, I cannot say at this time,” he said.
“But I can definitely say that we will discuss all the issues,” he said.
Misri said the agenda between India and the US is “vast and deep” and all issues are open for discussions. (PTI)
