Indian Man Accused in Assassination Plot Extradited to the US

An Indian man who has been accused of crafting a plot to murder a Sikh separatist in New York City was extradited to the U.S. last week, and pleaded not guilty to the charges in federal court on Monday.

Nikhil Gupta was extradited from the Czech Republic on Friday, and is now being charged in the U.S. with attempting to hire a hitman to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist leader who is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada.

Prosecutors have alleged that an unnamed official with the Indian government directed Gupta in his actions. To this point, India has denied that it’s involved at all with the plot in question.

Gupta, who is 52 years old, appeared in court Monday, but Jeff Chabrowe, his attorney, entered his not guilty plea on his behalf.

Prosecutors requested that Gupta be held in jail until his court trial begins. Chabrowe said he would later file an application for bail.

Chabrow further complained during his client’s arraignment about the conditions he was facing in detention. Since he arrived at the Brooklyn facility last Friday, he hasn’t been provided one vegetarian meal.

As he said to the judge:

“Essentially, my client has not been able to eat.”

In addition, the lawyer said his client would need to be given permission and time to pray.

Judge James Cott said that if the issues hadn’t been resolved by the next day, that Chabrowe should reach back out to him to have them fixed.

Following the hearing, the defense lawyer told reporters that the case was “a complex matter for both India and the U.S.” He said people shouldn’t be “jumping to conclusions” regarding the allegations that his client is facing, adding “we will pursue his defense rigorously.”

The next time that Gupta is scheduled to appear in court is June 28.

Back in November, prosecutors in the U.S. charged Gupta with his plot to kill at least four Sikh separatists in North America, which included Pannun. If he’s convicted on the charges against him, he could spend the next 20 years behind bars.

According to prosecutors, Gupta paid a hitman $100,000 in cash to assassinate Pannun. The problem for him was that the alleged hitman was actually an undercover federal agent.

Pannun serves as the Sikhs for Justice group’s general counsel. The organization, which is based in America, supports the Khalistan movement that calls for the Sikhs to have an independent homeland. The Sikhs make up roughly 2% of the total population in India.

In 2020, the Indian government designated Pannun as a terrorist, but he denies that allegation.

Pannun is an associate of another Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed when he was shot in his car in Canada last year.

Relations between India and Canada deteriorated after the incident, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were “credible allegations” that the Indian government was involved in the killing.

India has since denied those allegations as well.