US says Indian govt tried to kill US citizen on US soil

WASHINGTON: The United States has said that the Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi attempted to assassinate an American citizen on American soil.

“This is a serious issue, a serious issue between the United States and India,” Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu told the congressional panel at a hearing that was held on Pakistan’s elections and its future relations with the US on Wednesday.

“The Department of Justice has alleged that an Indian citizen at the behest of someone working in the Indian government has attempted to kill an American citizen on American soil,” the assistant secretary said.

He further said that the US administration and the State Department takes the issue “incredibly seriously” and have raised it at the highest levels with India.

“We are, at the moment, working with India to encourage India to hold accountable those responsible for this terrible crime,” he said, adding: “India itself has announced that they have created a committee of inquiry to look into this matter and we asked them to work quickly and transparently to make sure justice is done.”

In late November last year, the federal prosecutors in Manhattan, New York, revealed details of an unsuccessful assassination plot against a prominent Sikh separatist leader in the US. According to the charges, an Indian national Nikhil Gupta tried to arrange the killing of the Sikh separatist leader, Gurpatwant Pannun, at the Indian government official’s direction.