U.S. prosecutors in Manhattan plan to introduce evidence in a trial that sheds new light on the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia — and the alleged role of the Indian government in arranging the hit.
The evidence will be presented in the trial of alleged drug and firearms trafficker Nikhil (Nick) Gupta, accused of co-ordinating a murder-for-hire plot to kill Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
If the evidence is admitted, it could prove awkward for India as Ottawa and New Delhi attempt to re-establish normal diplomatic and trading relations.
Gupta is accused of working with an officer of India's spy agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), named Vikash Yadav. The two allegedly sought to assassinate Pannun, the founder and leader of the group Sikhs For Justice and organizer of a worldwide campaign for an independent Sikh homeland, and at least three other people including Nijjar, Pannun's Canadian deputy.
The 53-year-old Gupta was arrested in Czechia and extradited to the U.S. in June 2024.
India considers Pannun a terrorist. The U.S. and Canada — both countries where Pannun holds citizenship — do not.
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