‘Won’t be fully satisfied until there is meaningful accountability’: US on Pannun murder plot – Times of India

The United States on Wednesday said there was “valuable engagement” with India’s inquiry committee last week regarding the alleged assassination attempt on Khalistani terrorist, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. However, Washington also added that it will not be “fully satisfied” until there is “meaningful accountability” from the investigation.
The meeting, held last week, saw an exchange of information between the two nations as part of their ongoing investigations into the incident.
US principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel, while addressing a media briefing, highlighted the importance of accountability in the ongoing investigation. “There was valuable engagement with India’s inquiry committee last week, and information was exchanged between our two governments to further our respective investigations. We understand that the Indian inquiry committee will continue its investigation, and we expect to see further steps based on last week’s conversations,” he said.
“We continue to expect and want to see accountability based on the results of that investigation, and certainly the United States won’t be fully satisfied until there is meaningful accountability resulting from that investigation.”
The inquiry relates to the alleged involvement of a former Indian government official in a foiled assassination plot against Pannun, who is designated as a terrorist by India but holds both American and Canadian citizenship. The US Justice Department had previously unsealed an indictment against Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national allegedly involved in the plot. Gupta, who was extradited from the Czech Republic in June 2023, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The US state department confirmed that the individual named in the indictment no longer holds any position within the Indian government. State department spokesperson Matthew Miller previously shared that both governments updated each other on their respective investigations during the meeting and described the cooperation between the two sides as constructive.
“We have received updates from them on the investigations they have been conducting. They also informed us that the individual named in the Justice Department indictment is no longer employed by the Indian government,” Miller had said, adding that the investigation is still ongoing, but the US is appreciative of India’s collaboration.
The ministry of external affairs confirmed that the official mentioned in the indictment is no longer employed. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reaffirmed that India is treating the matter seriously and continues to examine the situation closely.