Washington (Rajeev Sharma): Fresh disclosures in a United States federal case have revealed that Indian national Nikhil Gupta allegedly told an undercover American agent that slain Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar had also been on a list of targets.
According to documents released by the US Department of Justice, Gupta — who has pleaded guilty in connection with a conspiracy to assassinate Sikh separatist figure Gurpatwant Singh Pannun — made the remark to an undercover operative from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on or about June 19, 2023. The date was one day after Nijjar was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Surrey, British Columbia.
Court filings state that Gupta told the undercover officer that Nijjar “was also a target” and added that there were “many targets.” Investigators have described Nijjar as an associate of Pannun, who leads the banned group Sikhs for Justice and has been an outspoken advocate for a separate Sikh homeland.
US prosecutors allege that Gupta was acting at the direction of others, including co-accused Vikash Yadav, identified in the indictment as an employee of India’s Cabinet Secretariat. Authorities claim that Gupta sought to arrange the killing of Pannun in New York City by contacting a person he believed to be involved in criminal activities. That individual was, in fact, a confidential source cooperating with the DEA, who later introduced Gupta to an undercover officer posing as a contract killer.
The Department of Justice has further alleged that an agreement was reached to pay $100,000 for the assassination, with $15,000 allegedly handed over as an advance payment in June 2023. Investigators contend that details about the intended target — including home address, contact numbers and daily routines — were shared with the undercover operative, along with surveillance updates.
Prosecutors have also said that Gupta had earlier advised delaying any action around the time of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington in June 2023. However, after Nijjar’s killing — which occurred shortly before that visit — Gupta allegedly suggested there was no longer a need to postpone the operation.
Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30, 2023, and later extradited to the United States. He has since entered a guilty plea in the case, which continues to draw international attention due to its geopolitical implications and the broader tensions surrounding pro-Khalistan activism abroad.
