Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an American attorney and general counsel for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), has filed a lawsuit against the Indian government in a US federal district court. Pannun claims that Indian officials, including members of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), conspired to assassinate him on American soil.
The lawsuit, announced during a press conference with his lawyers Matthew Borden and Richard Rogers, names several Indian intelligence officials, including Ajit Doval, Samant Goel, Vikram Yadav, and Nikhil Gupta. Pannun alleges that officials reporting to Prime Minister Modi instructed Gupta to hire contract killers.
The assassination plot was reportedly uncovered when the hired assassin turned out to be a federal undercover agent. The complaint suggests that India sought to silence Pannun for his advocacy of Sikh self-determination and human rights.
US authorities have already indicted Nikhil Gupta for his alleged role in the conspiracy. The lawsuit also mentions the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, suggesting a potential connection between the two cases.
Pannun's lawyers argue that India has not provided evidence of any laws broken by their client, despite having issued a Red Notice against him. The complaint also accuses India of transforming its diplomatic missions abroad into espionage networks.
Indian officials have not yet responded to these allegations.
