Gurpatwant Pannun murder plot: Baseless case, says India after U.S. court summons

India stresses that the organisation that Pannun represents is unlawful and involved in anti-national activities

Reacting to a U.S. court summons of Indian citizens, including National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief Samant Goel and others, connected to a complaint lodged by India-banned Khalistani group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the case was based on “unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations”.

Mr. Pannun filed a civil case earlier this week against the Government of India, Mr. Doval, Mr. Goel, Vikram Yadav, Nikhil Gupta who is in jail in New York, and others. The defendants are required, as per the court, to respond to the September 18, 2024 summons with 21 days.

“We have taken certain action, and the allegations are being inquired into by a high level committee and the relevant agencies on both sides have engaged on this,” said Mr. Misri on India-U.S. discussions around charges issued by the U.S. Department of Justice in November 2023 alleging that an Indian government agent orchestrated a plot from India to kill an Amercian citizen on U.S. soil.

“I would only invite your attention to the person behind this particular case whose antecedents are well known,” he said, referring to Mr. Pannun, the man the FBI has said was being targeted.

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“I would also underline the fact that the organisation that this person represents, is an unlawful organisation, has been declared as such under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and it has been done so on account of its involvement in anti-national and subversive activities aimed at disrupting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India,” he said, during a briefing on Wednesday.

The summons comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the U.S. for the Quad Summit and the United Nations in New York.

Published - September 19, 2024 03:41 pm IST