Pannun murder plot: Won't be fully satisfied unless there is meaningful accountability after Indian investigation, says US
The United States has said that it expects "meaningful accountability" at the end of India¡¯s investigation into an alleged plot to kill a US citizen on American soil. The US response came after an Indian inquiry committee, investigating the plot to kill Khalistani separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, visited the country last week.
'Valuable engagement with India's inquiry committee'
"There was valuable engagement with India's inquiry committee last week, and information was exchanged between our two governments to further our respective investigations. We understand that the Indian inquiry committee will continue its investigation, and we expect to see further steps based on last week's conversations," US Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said.
'Meaningful accountability from India'
He, however, added that the US expects to see accountability from India after the investigation is completed.
"We continue to expect and want to see accountability based on the results of that investigation, and certainly the United States won't be fully satisfied until there is meaningful accountability resulting from that investigation," Patel said.
US indicts former RAW official
The inquiry committee's visit to the United States coincided with the US Justice Department's indictment of a former Indian government official for his alleged role in the murder-for-hire plot.
Vikas Yadav, a Delhi-based former official of RAW, was named as the mastermind in the plot to kill Pannun, a dual US and Canadian citizen based in New York.
Where is Vikas Yadav
When the plot first surfaced, and an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, who hired the hitman on behalf of Yadav, was caught in the Czech Republic, India had blamed rogue operatives not sanctioned by the government for the act.
The inquiry committee also informed the US that Yadav was no longer an employee of the Government of India. After his name was revealed publicly, it also emerged that Yadav, who was previously with the CRPF, was arrested by the Delhi Police in 2023 on charges of abduction and extortion. The whereabouts of Yadav are currently unknown.
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