Rubbishing all the allegations placed by the United States of America (USA) on India for a foiled assassination plot against Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun the Russian foreign ministry said that Washington has not yet provided any reliable evidence of the involvement of the Indian citizens in the case.
“According to the information that we have Washington has not yet provided any reliable evidence of the involvement of the Indian citizens in the preparation of the murder of a certain Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Speculation on this topic in the absence of evidence is entirely unacceptable,” the official spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on May 8, 2024.
She said that the US doesn’t understand the national mentality as well as the historic development context of the Indians state and it disrespects India as a state. Zakharova’s remarks came in response to the media query on Moscow’s reaction to accusations against an Indian official of foiled assassination plot and the Americans news publication, the Washington Post stating that India is trying to do the same as Russia and Saudi Arabia against its enemy.
“The Washington Post” it seems to me, should use the term repressive regime and everything you quoted in relation to Washington. It is difficult to imagine more than a repressive regime than Washington, both in domestic and international affiairs and now directly about your question,” Zakharova said according to the readout of the briefing released by the Rusisan Foreign Ministry.
“Regularly, unfounded accusations by the United State against New Delhi (We see that they groundlessly accuse not only India but many other states of violating religious freedoms are a reflection of the US misunderstanding of the national mentality, the historical context of the development of the Indian state and disrespect for India as a state. I am also sure that this comes from neo-colonial mentality, the period of slave trade and imperialism she said.
“This doesn’t apply only to India. The reason is the desire to unbalance the internal political situation in India in order to complicate the general parliamentary elections taking place in the country. Of course, this is part of interference in India’s internal affairs, she added.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is an India designated terrorist who holds American and Canadian citizenship. Earlier in November, the US Justice Department unsealed an indictment against an Indian national for his alleged involvement in plot to assassinate Pannun. The External Affairs Ministry, in April had rejected a report in The Washington Post naming an Indian RAW officials’ involvement in the alleged post to kill Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the US.
Describing it as an unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputation on serious matter that is under investigation, MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the US media report was “speculative and irresponsible.” In response to media queries, on the report that emerged in the Washington Post, a US National daily, the Jaiswal said that a High-Level Committee set up by the Indian government is carrying out the investigations into security concerns shared by the US government on networks of organised criminals, terrorists and others. Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful.
Citing officials and a US indictment, the Washington Post report claimed that RAW official identified as Vikram Yadav had directed Indian businessman Nikhil Gupta to hire a hitman to kill Pannun outside his New York residence. Gupta, now in the custody of Czech Republic has a pending extradition to the US to stand trial in the case.
As per reports in the US daily, the operation targeting Pannun was approved by RAW chief Samant Goel. Notably, as per the US Justice Department indictment, Indian national Nikhil Gupta who is sin custody has been charged with murder for hire of Pannun.
The US Justice Department has claimed that the Indian government employee named CC-1 who was not identified in the indictment filed in a federal court in Manhattan recruited an Indian national named Nikhil Gupta to hire a hitman to carry out their assassinations, which was followed by US authorities according to prosecutors.
Gupta has been charged with murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Czech authorities arrested and detained Gupta on June 30, pursuant to the bilateral extradition treaty between the United States and the Czech Republic.
Following this, MEA said that a case filed against an individual in a US court and allegedly linking him to an Indian official is a “matter of concern” and is contrary to government policy. India has also set up a high-level committee to probe the matter.
