An Indian national has pleaded guilty to conspiracy and murder-for-hire charges for his role in an alleged assassination plot against a Sikh leader in New York, revealing connections to broader efforts targeting Sikhs overseas. The indictment details how Nikhil Gupta, 54, was recruited by Vikash Yadav of India’s Cabinet Secretariat, and instructed to arrange the killing of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Pannun is a US citizen with ties to Sikh organizations advocating for an independent Sikh state in Punjab, India. Prosecutors say that at least $15,000 was paid as an advance for Gupta to hire a hitman who turned out to be a U.S. government informant posing as a hit man. The case came to light just months before President Joe Biden hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House state dinner.
This arrangement occurred during heightened tensions between India and the United States, with both nations vying for influence in regions like South Asia amid growing competition against China and Russia. While US officials confirmed there was no evidence that Indian Prime Minister Modi was aware of the alleged plot, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously accused India of involvement in the 2023 murder of a Sikh cleric outside a temple.
The case has put diplomatic strains between Canada and India at an all-time low, with retaliatory expulsions of diplomats and deteriorating relations. Gupta, who was arrested after hosting Indian officials during Biden’s state dinner in the Czech Republic, now faces up to 40 years in prison if found guilty on May 29.
Meanwhile, Vikash Yadav remains a fugitive, having also been charged with murder-for-hire and conspiracy. As tensions simmer between India and the West, this case underscores the complex web of international conspiracies and their far-reaching consequences for minority communities worldwide.