India’s spy agency reportedly linked to killing of Canadian Sikh activist

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An officer in India’s foreign intelligence agency has been linked to the 2023 slaying of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar as well as a thwarted plot to kill his New York-based ally, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, The Washington Post reports.

U.S. officials believe the scheme to assassinate Mr. Pannun, counsel for the separatist organization Sikhs for Justice, was ultimately approved by the former head of India’s spy agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, the Post reports.

An investigation by the Post alleges RAW intelligence officer Vikram Yadav relayed the final instructions to a murder-for-hire team and told the hitmen the assassination of Mr. Pannun was a priority. Citing current and former U.S. and Indian security officials, the Post said Mr. Yadav provided details to the assassination team, including Mr. Pannun’s New York address.

The plot was foiled by U.S. law enforcement.

The Post identified Mr. Yadav as the man referred to as “CC-1″ in a U.S. indictment unsealed in a New York court last November that outlined the plan to kill Mr. Pannun, a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen.

That indictment also detailed apparent links to the killing of Mr. Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., as well as an alleged plot by the Indian government to conduct a string of assassinations in Canada.

The Post, citing Western officials, alleges that the June 18, 2023, gangland-style killing of Mr. Nijjar was also linked to Mr. Yadav.

In reports that are closely held within the U.S. government, the Post said U.S. intelligence officials have assessed that the operation targeting Mr. Pannun was approved by then-RAW chief Samant Goel, a finding the Post said is consistent with accounts provided to the newspaper by former senior Indian security officials with knowledge of the operation.

The newspaper said U.S. spy agencies have more tentatively assessed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s national security adviser, Ajit Doval, was probably aware of RAW’s plans to kill Sikh activists.

In a statement Monday, Mr. Pannun called on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to designate India’s RAW and its national security adviser as terrorist entities and label their heads as terrorists as a result of the revelations in the Post’s reporting. He said Sikhs for Justice will continue to hold its unofficial referendum among Sikh communities around the world on the question of creating an independent Sikh state in India that would be called Khalistan.

The Post said senior officials at the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI had pushed to prosecute Mr. Yadav, a step that would have implicated RAW in a murder-for-hire conspiracy. Justice Department officials who took part in the White House deliberations sided against those calling for criminal charges against Mr. Yadav.

Officials told the Post of a private meeting in New Delhi in September between Mr. Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden, in which the U.S. said it would refrain from punitive responses but pushed India to hold those responsible accountable. The approach struck some U.S. officials as too accommodating, the newspaper reported.

India has reportedly told the United States that a special panel it set up to investigate a foiled plot to kill a Canadian-American Sikh separatist in New York concluded it was the action of rogue government operatives.

The criminal indictment unsealed in New York last November said a man accused of arranging the murder for hire of the U.S.-based Sikh activist told an undercover officer less than two weeks before Mr. Nijjar’s death that there was a “big target” in Canada.

The court document, which alleged that an Indian government employee was helping direct the plot to kill Mr. Pannun, includes intercepted conversations about multiple assassination plots to kill Sikh activists in North America. The targets were not identified.

Last September, Mr. Trudeau publicly accused India of a role in the slaying of Mr. Nijjar, an allegation that threw Indo-Canadian relations into a deep freeze. Ottawa shelved trade talks and a business mission to India, while New Delhi stripped 41 Canadian diplomats of their diplomatic protections.

As recently as last month, the Indian government said it was not co-operating with the RCMP’s investigation into the slaying of Mr. Nijjar, saying it would not provide information to investigators until Canada shares the evidence it has gathered.

On Dec. 27, The Globe and Mail reported, citing government sources, that the two men investigators believe fatally shot Mr. Nijjar were under police surveillance and expected to be arrested shortly by the RCMP.

A senior federal source told The Globe in March that the Trudeau government was frustrated that no arrests had been made. The RCMP told the government that, before making any arrests, they were being cautious and thorough because they wanted to make sure the case would not fall apart at trial, one of the sources said.

The Washington Post did not name its sources. The Globe is not identifying its sources because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.

New Delhi had accused Mr. Nijjar of being a terrorist during his campaign for an independent Sikh state. A 2020 statement by the Indian government alleged he was “actively involved in operationalizing, networking, training and financing” members of the militant Khalistan Tiger Force.

Before she retired from the government in late January, national security adviser Jody Thomas told CTV News that India was co-operating with Canada on the murder investigation and that bilateral ties were improving.

However, Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma said recently that Canada had not shared credible evidence to show Indian agents were behind Mr. Nijjar’s killing.

The Indian High Commission in Ottawa did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

In B.C., Premier David Eby said he hoped the RCMP investigation into the Nijjar slaying is able to conclude “and make a determination as quickly as possible.” Said Mr. Eby, “It affects our relationship with India. It affects people’s sense of safety in the community and Surrey and across British Columbia. And the sooner we get resolution of that investigation, whether resulting in criminal charges, or clarification about who was involved, the better.”

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Jody Thomas retired from the Prime Minister's Office. The national security adviser is a Privy Council role. This version has been updated.

With a report from Justine Hunter