Person named in US indictment in Pannun case “no longer employed by Indian government”, MEA confirms

“The US State Department has informed us that the individual in the Justice Department indictment is no longer employed by India. I confirm that he is no longer an employee of the Government of India,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a press conference today.

Notably, the U.S. Department of Justice has alleged that an Indian government official (referred to as CC-1), who was not named in the indictment filed in a federal court in Manhattan, recruited an Indian national named Nikhil Gupta to hire a hit man to carry out the murder. murder of Pannun, which prosecutors say was foiled by U.S. authorities.

According to the previously made allegations, the accused Nikhil Gupta is an associate of an employee of the Indian government and helped plot Pannun’s murder in New York City along with others.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is an Indian-designated terrorist who holds American and Canadian citizenship.

Indian national Nikhil Gupta is accused of involvement in the alleged failed assassination plot of Indian-appointed pro-Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

Gupta, 52, was extradited from the Czech Republic to the US earlier in June to stand trial, where he pleaded ‘not guilty’.

India formed a high-level fact-finding committee in November last year to address security concerns highlighted by the US government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said India takes such inputs seriously as they also harm national security interests, and relevant departments were already looking into the matter.

Meanwhile, the United States earlier said the meeting with the Indian Commission of Inquiry on the Pannun case was “productive” and that Washington was “satisfied” with the cooperation.

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller expressed satisfaction over India’s cooperation in the investigation.

Regarding the alleged involvement of an Indian government official in the Pannun assassination plot, Miller said the individual “is no longer an employee of the Indian government.”

“It was a productive meeting. They informed us that the person named in the Justice Department complaint is no longer an employee of the Indian government. We are satisfied with the collaboration. It remains an ongoing process. work with them on that, but we appreciate the collaboration and we appreciate them keeping us informed of their research just as we keep them informed of ours,” Milller said.