Panel suggests 'action' on individual in US plot case

An enquiry committee set up by the Indian government to investigate allegations about a plot to kill pro-Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil has recommended legal action against an individual whose "criminal links and antecedents" came to light earlier, the Union home ministry announced on Wednesday.

- Rezaul H Laskar, Neeraj Chauhan and Prashant Jha

The committee, which was headed by a senior official of the National Security Council, also recommended "functional improvements" in procedures and steps to strengthen India's response and ensure systematic controls in dealing with such matters.

The home ministry's statement didn't name the individual against whom the committee recommended legal action or refer to the alleged plot to kill Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) leader Pannun. But people familiar with developments said that the individual is Vikash Yadav, named by the US Justice Department in October 2024 as the Indian official who allegedly directed the plot to kill Pannun.

The external affairs ministry confirmed last October that Yadav, a former officer of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) deputed to the Research and Analysis Wing, was sacked by the government.

"After a long enquiry, the committee has submitted its report to the Government and recommended legal action against an individual whose earlier criminal links and antecedents also came to notice during the enquiry," the home ministry said in its statement.

The ministry said that the high-powered committee, set up in November 2023 after the US provided information regarding some organised criminal groups and terror organisations, had submitted its report to the government.

The SFJ was banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in July 2019 and Pannun was declared a terrorist under the same law in July 2020.