Assassination plot in the US allegedly traces back to Indian govt

On Wednesday, a US federal indictment was unsealed, charging Indian national Nikhil Gupta in a murder-for-hire plot ordered up by an official inside the Indian government for targeting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual American and Canadian citizen, in New York.

The World’s host Marco Werman talks with Sumit Ganguly, a professor at Indiana University who is an expert on national security affairs in India, about what the indictment says and what it means for US relations with India.

The case is particularly sensitive given the high priority that President Joe Biden placed on improving ties with India and courting it to be a major partner in the push to counter China’s increasing assertiveness.

The charges come two months after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were credible accusations that India may have been linked to the killing of a Sikh activist near Vancouver, straining relations between the two countries.

The man who was murdered, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, had been calling for a separate Sikh homeland, which some in the Sikh diaspora strongly support. In October, The World’s Sushmita Pathak reported from Delhi on where India’s Sikhs stand on the issue today.

India, which has banned the Sikh independence — or Khalistan — movement, denied having a role in the Canada killing and said it was examining information shared by the US and taking those accusations seriously.

The Associated Press contribued to this report.