As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was enjoying praise in the United States, a report by The Washington Post on Monday shed light on an unsettling revelation: amidst this accolade, an officer in India’s intelligence service was allegedly coordinating a hit on one of Modi’s vocal critics within the United States, painting a damning picture of New Delhi’s operations on foreign soil and implicating its top leadership in such transnational suppression.
According to The Post, Vikram Yadav, an officer in India’s spy agency RAW, dispatched instructions to a hired hit team while Modi was being feted at the White House last year.
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[adinserter name="Three"]The investigation, led by the CIA, FBI, and other agencies, has revealed the involvement of higher-ranking RAW officials, including the then-chief Samant Goel, with potential links to Modi’s trusted circle.
Citing closely guarded reports within the American government, The Post asserted that US intelligence agencies concluded that the operation targeting Pannun received approval from the RAW chief at the time, Samant Goel.
[adinserter name="Four"]Yadav’s directive, as quoted in the report, indicated that India was becoming increasingly willing to disregard the sovereignty of host nations and deploy agents across borders to silence political adversaries.
Yadav provided details about the target, pro-Khalistan Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, including his New York address. Once the would-be assassins confirmed Pannun’s presence, the operation would proceed, as stated in the memo cited in the report.
[adinserter name="Five"]The report also alleged that US spy agencies suspected Narendra Modi’s national security adviser, Ajit Doval, of being aware of RAW’s plans to eliminate pro-Khalistan Sikh activists, although concrete evidence remains elusive. Neither Doval nor Goel responded to The Post’s attempts to reach them for comment.
Furthermore, the report uncovered shocking details of alleged assassination plots orchestrated by RAW agents targeting Modi’s critics in the United States and Canada, highlighting India’s extensive efforts to suppress dissent beyond its borders and the diplomatic repercussions that followed.
[adinserter name="Six"]The US operation revealed how RAW attempted to export tactics it has long employed in neighboring countries, including the utilization of criminal syndicates for operations untraceable to New Delhi.
[adinserter name="Two"]The Post’s investigation, drawing on interviews with numerous officials and experts across several countries, underscored RAW’s escalating aggression against the Indian diaspora worldwide, particularly targeting pro-Khalistan Sikhs perceived as disloyal to the Indian sovereignty and the Modi government.
The US State Department declared on Tuesday its expectation for India to address the alleged involvement of senior Indian officials in assassination attempts within the United States.
[adinserter name="Seven"]“We continue to expect accountability from the government of India based on the findings of the Indian inquiry committee’s investigation, and we maintain regular engagement with them, seeking additional updates,” stated Vedant Patel, the department’s principal deputy spokesperson, during a Washington news briefing.
[adinserter name="One"]Patel stressed that the United States continues to address its concerns directly with the Indian government at senior levels. However, he refrained from delving further into the matter during the public briefing, deferring additional inquiries to the Department of Justice.
[adinserter name="Eight"]A Washington Post report on Monday hinted at the strongest connection yet between India’s government and a foiled assassination attempt aimed at Pannun in the US last year. The report also suggested the potential involvement of Indian intelligence officials in other assassination incidents in Canada and Pakistan.
