The United States on Monday said it views the alleged role of the Indian intelligence service in two assassination plots in Canada and the United States as a serious matter.
Reuters, citing a Washington Post report, said that an officer of India’s intelligence service was directly involved in the failed plan to kill an American citizen, who is the most important figure in the United States of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. is among the critics.
The report also said that the said officer was also involved in the killing of a Sikh activist in Canada last June, who was shot dead.
On the other hand, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs says that the Washington Post report has made “unnecessary and baseless allegations on a serious matter” while the matter is being investigated in New Delhi.
Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement: ‘There is no point in speculation and irresponsible comments on this matter.’
“This is a serious matter and we are taking it very seriously,” White House press secretary Karen Jean-Pierre told reporters. We will continue to express our concerns.’
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In November, US officials said that an Indian government official was involved in planning an assassination attempt on Sikh separatist and dual US-Canadian citizen Graptunat Singh Pannu.
India, however, has distanced itself from the issue and said it will formally investigate the US concerns and take “necessary action” on the findings of the panel set up on November 18.
Pannu is the general counsel of Sikhs for Justice, which was declared an ‘illegal organization’ by India in 2019, citing its involvement in extremist activities, and later in 2020 India designated Pannu as an ‘individual terrorist’. was given
This is a sensitive issue for both India and the Biden administration in the US as they seek to build closer ties amid shared concerns about China’s rising power.
Before the US, Canada also said it was investigating credible allegations that Indian agents were possibly involved in the killing of another Sikh separatist, Hardeep Singh Nagar, in suburban Vancouver. vehemently denied these allegations.