The white house hailed New delhi on thursday for conducting its inquiry into US charges that an indian diplomat was engaged in a failed plan to assassinate separatist Sikh leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The unnamed indian official was named in an indictment filed by federal prosecutors in a Manhattan court on Wednesday, along with an indian national, who the DOJ alleges hired someone in the US to assassinate Pannun, a vocal critic of india who advocates for a separate Khalistan.

"We take these allegations in this investigation very seriously." And we're delighted to see that the indians are, too, as they've announced their own attempts to look into this. And we've been clear that we want to see anyone who is involved for these alleged crimes held accountable," john Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House's National Security Council, told reporters during a press conference today.

However, this would not have an influence on the India-US relationship, he added, noting that the scheme was discovered after prime minister Narendra Modi's historic visit to the US.

"I want to be careful not to get ahead of the Department of Justice and discuss an ongoing investigation." I'd just say two things. india is a vital partner, and we will endeavour to develop and strengthen our strategic cooperation with India. Simultaneously, we take this extremely seriously," Kirby said to an inquiry.

In an indictment, the Department of Justice accused indian national Nikhil Gupta with conspiracy to commit murder for pay for his alleged participation in the scheme to assassinate the Sikh American. Gupta is accused of collaborating with an indian government official to find and hire an assassin to carry out the murder.

"We are deeply disturbed by these reports and the potential threat they pose to our community's safety." SALDEF has been tracking instances of censorship of diasporic Sikh voices since 2020, and today's indictment is part of a broader pattern of silencing Sikh voices," said kiran Kaur Gill, executive director of SALDEF, which describes itself as a national Sikh American impact organisation focused on building leadership and capacity in the Sikh American community.

"If these allegations are true, it would represent a serious violation of international law and be a blatant example of transnational repression," Gill told Reuters.
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SIBY JEYYA

01/12/2023 05:44 AM