Subir Bhaumik
Indian national Nikhil Gupta, accused in US for involvement in the attempted murder of a Sikh extremist, has been extradited by the Czech Republic back to US to stand trial.
This case has caused considerable tensions in India-US bilateral relations with the Americans alleging involvement of Indian intelligence officials in the plot to kill ‘Sikh For Justice’ Gurupatwant Singh Pannun, who is a well known Khalistani separatist leader. Pannun has threatened Hindus and Indian diplomats in North America with violence and pivoted a referendum in Indian Punjab to determine the province’s future.
Gupta, 52, was arrested in the Czech Republic last year at the request of the US government on charges of hiring a professional killer to eliminate Pannun at the behest of India’s external intelligence agency RAW.
The Czech Constitutional Court last month rejected a petition by Gupta against his extradition to the US to face the charges.
US federal prosecutors allege that Gupta had been working on the orders of an unnamed Indian intelligence official, but India has denied any involvement in such a case and has instituted a high-level investigation to look into the allegations.
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