USA: India wanted to kill Sikh separatists in New York
The suspected murder of a Sikh separatist in Canada by the Indian state triggers a crisis between the two countries in the summer. The USA then accused New Delhi of also targeting a US citizen. Now a 52-year-old man has been charged.
Following a similar case in Canada, the US judiciary has accused India of attempting to murder a Sikh separatist in the USA. The federal prosecutor's office in New York published an indictment against an Indian citizen who, together with an Indian government representative, is alleged to have hired a suspected contract killer. According to the indictment, he was to murder a Sikh separatist living in New York. However, the alleged contract killer was actually an undercover agent of the US police.
According to the US Department of Justice, the now accused Nikhil G. was arrested in the Czech Republic in the summer in cooperation with the US authorities. The 52-year-old is charged with murder for hire and conspiracy to commit murder for hire. Each of these charges carries a maximum sentence of ten years.
In mid-June, the murder of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada made international headlines. The Canadian citizen, who had campaigned for the establishment of an independent Sikh state in India, was found shot dead in the parking lot of a temple in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau then said in September that there was "credible evidence" of a "possible link between Indian government officials and the murder". This caused great tension between the governments of the two countries, and Canada expelled an Indian diplomat.
New Delhi rejected the accusations and suspended the processing of visa applications for Canadians. India accuses Canada of turning a blind eye to the activities of radical Sikh nationalists who advocate independence from India.
Separatists probably knew each other
According to the US judiciary, Nijjar, who was murdered at the time, had links to the Sikh separatist living in New York - an unnamed US citizen with Indian roots - who, according to the indictment, was also to be killed.
One day after Nijjar's murder, the now accused Nikhil G. told the alleged hitman that it was "no longer necessary" to wait to kill the man living in New York. The contract killer was to receive 100,000 dollars (around 91,000 euros) for the crime. According to the indictment, he received a first installment of 15,000 dollars at the beginning of June.
The Indian government representative who is said to be behind the murder plot is not named in the US indictment. According to the New York public prosecutor's office, he describes himself as a high-ranking government representative with responsibility for "security management" and intelligence activities. The accused G., in turn, is said to be involved in drug and weapons smuggling.
The "Financial Times" had already reported on the case last week. The target of the murder conspiracy was the Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. A US government representative subsequently said that the allegations were being taken "extremely seriously". The case had been raised with the Indian government.
The Indian state of Punjab, where around 58 percent of the population is Sikh and 39 percent Hindu, was rocked by a violent independence movement in the 1980s and 1990s. Thousands of people were killed. Today, the most vocal separatists live in the Indian diaspora.
The US Justice Department is similarly investigating India for attempting to assassinate a Sikh separatist in the USA, following the assassination of another Sikh separatist in Canada. This new alleged target was reportedly connected to the Sikh separatist living in New York.
In light of the developments, there are calls for greater justice and accountability, with many advocating for both Canada and the USA to take strong action against any perceived involvement of foreign governments in alleged acts of violence against their citizens.
Source: www.ntv.de
