India has established a high-profile investigative committee to address the security concerns raised by the US government, as confirmed by Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, on Wednesday.
The Biden administration had previously brought to light an alleged conspiracy to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist leader labelled as a terrorist by the Indian government, within the United States.
In response to these revelations, Bagchi stated, "During the course of recent discussions on India-US security cooperation, the US side shared some inputs pertaining to nexus between organised criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others. We had also indicated that India takes such inputs seriously since they impinge on our national security interests as well, and relevant departments were already examining the issue."
Providing further details, the Ministry of External Affairs disclosed, “In this context, it is informed that on 18 November 2023, the Government of India constituted a high-level Enquiry Committee to look into all the relevant aspects of the matter. Government of India will take necessary follow-up action based on the finding of the Enquiry Committee."
In a separate incident in September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested credible allegations linking the Indian government to the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. India dismissed the accusation as baseless, leading to the expulsion of a senior Indian diplomat by Canada, reciprocated in kind by India.
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