‘Investigate Pannun plot or…’, USA’s ‘Samosa Caucas’ issues warning to India

All Indian-American US Congressmen have called on New Delhi to actively investigate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun’s alleged murder plot or be ready for the severing of the India-US ties.

In a joint statement, Amy Bera, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Shri Thanedar — all Democrats who serve in the House of Representatives—have warned that the inaction from the Indian government can cause “significant damage” to the “very consequential” partnership between the two nations.

They have also demanded India never repeat such incidents on American soil.

All five Indian-American members of the Congress, informally hailed as the ‘Samosa Caucus’, were briefed by the US administration about the indictment of an Indian national, named Nikhil Gupta, in connection with the alleged murder plot.

In November, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) had unsealed an indictment that implicated a serving Indian government official for orchestrating the plot and seeking to assassinate Pannun in June this year through Gupta.

Watch: Senior US officials visit India amid Indian probe into SFJ Chief Pannun murder plot

According to US documents, Gupta then hired a hitman to get the job done, but he turned out to be a US law enforcement agent.

The members noted that the allegations levelled against India in the indictment were “deeply concerning.”

“As members of Congress, the safety and well-being of our constituents is our most important priority. The allegations made in the indictment are deeply concerning,” the statement said.

“It is critical that India fully investigate, hold those responsible, including Indian government officials, accountable, and provide assurances that this will not happen again,” it added.

However, the members welcomed India’s move to constitute a committee of enquiry to investigate the alleged murder plot.

The five members said that the impact of the US-India ties was such that it can help make the lives of people of both nations better. “But we are concerned that the actions outlined in the indictment could, if not appropriately addressed, cause significant damage to this very consequential partnership,” they added.

(With inputs from agencies)