India Hired A Hit Man

The Hit Squad INDIA An Indian national accused of involvement in a plot to kill a Sikh separatist in the US appeared before a New York court Monday, in a case that has the Indian government being accused by Western Allies of ordering the assassination of Sikh separatist figures abroad, NBC News reported. Over the weekend, authorities in the Czech Republic extradited Nikhil Gupta to the United States to stand trial. Czech authorities arrested Gupta last year following a request by the US Justice Department. US officials alleged that Gupta is an associate of an Indian government “senior field officer” and that together they worked to organize the murder of Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is also an American citizen. The plot was thwarted by US authorities. Pannun is a critic of the Indian government and authorities there have labeled him a terrorist. He has advocated for an independent region in India for its Sikh population. Prosecutors said that Gupta, claiming to be a drug and weapons trafficker, unknowingly contacted an undercover officer of the US Drug Enforcement Agency posing as a hitman. In June 2023, Gupta offered $100,000 in a murder-for-hire scheme and provided surveillance photos. It was around the same time as another incident in Canada in which an unknown gunman murdered another Sikh separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in the province of British Columbia. Gupta later bragged to the officer that Nijjar “was also the target” and “we have so many targets.” The extradition is the latest development in a year-long scandal in India: Last year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused New Delhi of being involved in Nijjar’s murder, sparking a diplomatic row between the two countries. The Indian government has vehemently rejected the allegations as “absurd” and has launched its own investigation into the matter, the Hindu noted. Gupta has also denied the accusations and claimed he was “unfairly charged.” He currently faces charges of murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, both of which carry sentences of up to 10 years in prison. Share this story Puppet Masters CANADA Lawmakers in Canada’s Parliament are in uproar over the release of a classified report this month that showed extensive foreign interference by China and India in Canadian democracy, Bloomberg reported. The report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) alleges that some lawmakers accepted money and colluded with foreign officials. It said foreign powers, primarily China and India, have attempted to interfere in Canadian politics, businesses, nonprofits and academic institutions. The committee has not yet revealed the specific names and actions of the accused, prompting some lawmakers to demand transparency and accountability. Center-left New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh called the suspects “traitors” and called for their prosecution. Singh criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for being lenient on foreign interference, citing instances where the government failed to act on intelligence about Chinese meddling in elections. He also accused Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre of ignoring the issue, despite evidence that Conservative leadership races were also targeted. Poilievre, who has a significant lead over Trudeau in opinion polls, called for the government to name the implicated individuals. The government countered that disclosing names would compromise sensitive sources and methods, and potentially damage the reputations of lawmakers without due process. Instead, government officials urged opposition leaders to obtain the necessary security clearances to review the unredacted report. The allegations of foreign interference have prompted widespread debate on how to protect Canada’s democracy. Intelligence agencies have long warned of such threats, but the latest report is the most direct and alarming yet, the Washington Post added. Trudeau ordered the NSICOP to launch the probe in response to previous reports of Chinese meddling in the 2019 and 2021 elections. The committee confirmed attempts to influence election outcomes, although they said they did not alter the final results. Despite the gravity of these accusations, the committee noted the challenges in prosecuting such activities due to the need to protect classified information in court. Analysts suggested that party leaders must take decisive action against implicated legislators to uphold national security and democratic integrity.