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When you first come across this piece, you might think it’s one of those dry foreign policy stories you would normally scroll right past: an overseas suspect, a convoluted geopolitical backdrop, and a whole lot of diplomatic maneuvering are all part of this story.
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But underneath the surface, this case raises some uncomfortable questions about what may have been happening behind the scenes while Washington was busy trying to strengthen ties with India.
It all started when a man pleaded guilty in connection with a murder-for-hire plot that targeted a Sikh separatist on US soil. Federal prosecutors say the scheme ties back to India’s intelligence apparatus. Of course, India denies any involvement, but the case has already created a lot of friction between the US and New Delhi.
The New York Times did a whole spread on this story.
An Indian man pleaded guilty on Friday to orchestrating a failed assassination plot against a Sikh separatist in New York, a conviction tied to what officials in Canada and the United States say is a campaign by the Indian government to kill dissidents.
Right outta the gate, the allegation is big. Prosecutors are saying this as part of a broader effort to target Sikh separatists overseas. And that’s where this turns this from a routine criminal case into something with serious diplomatic implications.
The man at the center of this case is now facing hard prison time, and his target wasn’t just some random guy.
The NYT piece goes on:
Nikhil Gupta, 54, faces up to 40 years in prison for his role in trying to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a lawyer with Sikhs for Justice, an advocacy group.
The reason that detail matters so much is because Pannun isn’t just some private individual. He’s a very prominent voice in the Sikh separatist movement. Keep in mind, India has viewed this group as a security threat for eons now. So, that’s the political backdrop that gives this case its edge.
Prosecutors say the plot was unusually direct.
The NYT piece continues:
The indictment against Mr. Gupta outlined a brazen scheme in which he was recruited in May 2023 by an Indian government official, Vikash Yadav, to arrange the killing of Mr. Pannun.
And that’s the heart of this entire story. If proven, that allegation is the center of the controversy. It’s one thing for a private guy to pursue violence. It’s quite another for prosecutors to claim the scheme was linked to someone inside the Indian government. That’d be like the United States targeting political activists overseas and trying to murder them. That’s why this case is starting to draw attention.
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What makes the timeline even more awkward is when all of this was allegedly unfolding.
The NYT piece explains:
Prosecutors say Mr. Gupta was involved in the plot in June 2023, as President Joseph R. Biden Jr. was preparing to host Mr. Modi for a state dinner at the White House.
This is where the geopolitical tension heats up. While Biden was rolling out the red carpet for India’s leadership, prosecutors now say a murder plot tied to an Indian official was going full steam ahead.
The alleged plot didn’t get far, but that’s because law enforcement was already inside the operation.
The NYT piece goes on:
At Mr. Yadav’s direction, an indictment says, Mr. Gupta contacted a man to hire someone to carry out the killing in New York. The man, a federal informant, introduced Mr. Gupta to a second person who presented himself as a hit man but who was actually an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration officer.
So, what prosecutors describe as a serious international plot actually unraveled through a classic undercover sting. And that’s why the case moved from intelligence to a criminal prosecution in US court.
Prosecutors say the communications became increasingly explicit.
The NYT piece shows how:
Soon after that, according to prosecutors, Mr. Gupta engaged in a series of electronic and recorded communications with the informant and the undercover agent in which they discussed the logistics and price of the murder.
By this point, the case had moved way beyond vague chit-chat. Investigators say there were hardcore discussions about money and method. They had this guy now.
Ultimately, Gupta himself admitted to key parts of the plot in court.
The NYT piece concludes:
Mr. Gupta, speaking in court briefly on Friday, told Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn that in spring 2023, he had agreed with another individual ‘to murder a person in the United States.
Obviously, that admission strengthens the prosecution’s case against him. What remains far more politically “touchy” is the question of who else may have been involved beyond the people already charged.
This case is still working its way through the legal system, and India continues to deny any government role in the murder plot.
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For now, one man has pleaded guilty, another suspect is still at large, and the bigger geopolitical tensions are hanging in the balance.
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