Indian national pleads guilty in US to plot assassination of Sikh activist

A senior U.S. prosecutor today unveiled a shocking indictment against Nikhil Gupta, also known as “Nick,” an Indian national currently residing in the United States. Gupta pleaded guilty in New York’s Southern District for his role in planning to assassinate a prominent US-based attorney and political activist of Indian origin.

The targeted individual is a vocal critic of the Indian government who leads an organization advocating for the secession of Punjab into a separate Sikh state called Khalistan, which has been banned by India. The prosecution detailed Gupta’s involvement with Vikash Yadav, described as an employee of the Indian Cabinet Secretariat and part of India’s foreign intelligence agency RAW.

According to court documents, Gupta allegedly hatched a conspiracy in 2023 to assassinate the US citizen on U.S. soil. The plot was only foiled when undercover U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officers tricked Gupta into thinking he had hired a hitman. Gupta’s confidant, who believed himself to be assisting in the murder-for-hire scheme, actually provided information to law enforcement.

Prosecutors alleged that the intended victim and his colleague Hardeep Singh Nijjar were both critical of India’s government policies. The undercover operation was triggered when Nijjar, a prominent Sikh separatist leader killed outside a Canadian temple on June 18, 2023, by Gupta’s target.

Gupta agreed to pay $100,000 for the hit; $15,000 in advance. The undercover officer provided him with the intended victim’s home address and personal details, including a routine schedule and surveillance photographs of Nijjar.

Gupta instructed that the killing be delayed after Nijjar’s death to avoid clashing with India’s prime minister’s official state visit to the U.S., scheduled for June 2023. Authorities revealed the planned assassination was also aimed at another prominent Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Gupta’s arrest occurred in the Czech Republic on June 30, 2023, and he was extradited to the United States in 2024 where he pleaded guilty. US Attorney Jay Clayton described Gupta’s actions as a “foiled murder-for-hire scheme linked to transnational repression.”

Gupta faces three counts: conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, each carrying up to 10 years in prison. The final sentence will be determined by the court.

In his statement, US Attorney Jay Clayton emphasized that “no one is above the law,” praising the successful undercover operation for thwarting a plot that could have led to multiple deaths across Canada and the U.S., underscoring the government’s commitment to protecting its citizens from foreign-directed violence.