Committee investigating Indian assassination plot meeting officials in Washington

An Indian government committee investigating Indian involvement in a foiled murder plot against a prominent activist in New York City will meet U.S. officials in Washington this week, the State Department announced. 

The announcement comes following the Biden administration’s push for the Indian government to look into the alleged involvement of an Indian government employee in the murder plot against dual U.S.-Canada citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a prominent Sikh separatist, that was disrupted last year. 

The State Department said that as part of the Indian government committee’s ongoing investigation, the visiting delegation will share information they have obtained and receive an update from American authorities on how the case is proceeding. 

“Additionally, India has informed the United States they are continuing their efforts to investigate other linkages of the former government employee and will determine follow up steps, as necessary,” the agency said. 

The visit underlines the delicate balance the U.S. is seeking to strike between holding the Indian government accountable for brazen security and human rights concerns and seeking to deepen ties with New Delhi as a counter to China’s ambition and influence in the global south. 

The development comes as tensions between India and Canada have ratcheted up over a separate murder case, the June 2023 killing of Canadian Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said his country’s intelligence was pursuing credible allegations that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government was behind Nijjar’s killing. 

The Canadian government on Monday expelled six Indian diplomats including the high commissioner, the equivalent of the ambassador, linking them to Nijjar’s killing and alleging a broader campaign to target dissidents. 

India retaliated by expelling six Canadian diplomats including Ottawa’s top envoy, and said it had withdrawn its top official in Ottawa over concern of “threats”, contradicting the Canadian government’s statement. 

India has denied links to both cases.