India Disputes the "Unfounded" Report of Assassination Plot against Sikh Independent Leader

India slammed a Washington Post report on an alleged assassination plot against Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, calling it "unwarranted." The U.S. acknowledged the seriousness, expecting accountability from India while raising concerns.

India has strenuously reacted to a report by the Washington Post that there was a plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader and a prominent UK Sikh, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, in the US. Pannun is one of the key leaders of the Khalistan movement and an advisor to the group Sikhs for Justice which fights for the independence of Khalistan.

On Tuesday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson in India, Randhir Jaiswal, described the report as "unfounded and unsubstantiated," and said that "an ongoing investigation of the High Level Committee set up by the Government of India to look into the security concerns shared by the US government on networks of organized criminals, terrorists and others." What is needed instead is constructive and responsible thoughts on it."

A report in the Washington Post disclosed that an officer of the Indian external intelligence agency RAW, Vikram Yadav, and the then RAW chief, Samant Goel, were implicated in the plot to assassinate Pannun. India has made Pannun a terrorist.

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In the meantime, the White House concedes the gravity of these concerns on Monday. The press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said that the Indian government will investigate the matter and we expect accountability from them. She further added, "We will continue to raise our concerns directly with the Indian government having that in mind".

Jean-Pierre admitted that the Department of Justice investigation was going on at the moment, but she could not disclose any details because of the criminal nature of the case.

The claimed assassination attempt against the Pannun in the U.S. came at the same time that the Canadian Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed in the British Columbia province last June.