The White House calls the alleged Indian involvement in assassination plans a “serious matter”

The White House declared on Monday that it considered the alleged involvement of the Indian intelligence agency in two assassination schemes in the US and Canada to be a significant issue.

According to a revelation published in The Washington Post, an Indian intelligence agency official played a direct role in the abortive attempt to kill a US citizen who happens to be one of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s most outspoken opponents in the US. According to the report, the cop was also engaged in the Sikh activist’s other shooting killing in Canada in June of last year.

The Washington Post article contained “unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter,” according to India’s foreign ministry, and New Delhi is looking into the situation.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal issued a statement saying, “Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful.”

White House spokesman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, “This is a serious matter, and we’re taking that very, very seriously.” “We’re going to continue to raise our concerns.”

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist and dual citizen of the US and Canada, was the target of an attempted assassination plan, according to US officials in November. The conspiracy was allegedly led by an officer in the Indian government.

India has voiced worry about the connection and distanced itself from the scheme, stating that it will formally look into the US concerns and take “necessary follow-up action” based on a panel’s conclusions that was established on November 18.

General Counsel Pannun works with Sikhs for Justice, an organization that India designated as a “unlawful association” in 2019 due to its radical actions. India subsequently designated Pannun as a “individual terrorist” in 2020.

Given their shared concerns about China’s rising influence, India and the Biden administration in the US are trying to forge tighter connections, therefore both parties must tread carefully on this topic.

The U.S. scheme was revealed two months after Canada declared it was investigating plausible claims that may connect Indian operatives with the June killing of another Sikh separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in a suburban area of Vancouver.

India vehemently denied Ottawa’s allegations.