U.S. prosecutors in Manhattan are set to present new evidence in an upcoming trial that will shed light on the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia and the alleged involvement of the Indian government in orchestrating the assassination. The evidence is part of the case against Nikhil (Nick) Gupta, who is facing charges related to a murder-for-hire scheme targeting Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
The trial will focus on Gupta’s alleged collaboration with Vikash Yadav, an officer of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), in a plot to assassinate Pannun and three others, including Nijjar. Gupta, aged 53, was apprehended in Czechia and extradited to the U.S. in June 2024.
While India considers Pannun a terrorist, both the U.S. and Canada, where Pannun holds citizenship, do not share the same view. Pannun maintains that his advocacy for an independent Sikh homeland is centered on peaceful referendums across the Sikh diaspora.
The court filing indicates that the U.S. government possesses evidence implicating official Indian involvement in the plan to assassinate Nijjar in Surrey, B.C. Gupta has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the trial is scheduled to commence on November 3.
Negotiations between the Biden administration and the Modi government resulted in an agreement in October 2024, stipulating that Yadav would sever ties with the Indian government to prevent any further strain on U.S.-Indian relations. By characterizing Yadav as acting independently, India aimed to shield high-ranking officials, such as the R&AW’s former director Samant Goel, from scrutiny.
Canadian investigators have indicated that the assassination plot may have reached the upper echelons of the Indian government. The court filing also reveals Gupta’s alleged involvement in a weapons and narcotics smuggling scheme to supply arms for the operation.
The U.S. government seeks to present expert testimony linking the Government of India to the killings and its purported motive against Sikh separatists. Professor Nitasha Kaul from the University of Westminster is expected to testify about the Indian government’s stance on Pannun, Nijjar, and their organization, framing them as a perceived threat.
Kaul’s anticipated testimony, highlighting the Indian government’s perspective, contradicts New Delhi’s stance of disavowing involvement in the incidents. Kaul herself has experienced repercussions from the Indian government, as she was deported and stripped of her Indian passport for what was deemed as “anti-India activities.”
