Demonstrators who hold the Indian government responsible for a murder-for-hire plot against a well-known Sikh separatist leader in New York City took to the streets on Friday, expressing their outrage outside a Manhattan courthouse. Their protest coincided with a court hearing for an individual charged in the case, reflecting the tension surrounding the allegations of international intrigue.
The gathering, which attracted more than a dozen Sikhs, came just a day after prosecutors unveiled an updated indictment that implicated an Indian government worker in the failed scheme. This employee, Vikash Yadav, is currently on the run, with U.S. authorities continuing their search for him.
As the hearing unfolded, the demonstrators staged a dramatic scene across the street. They placed a shackled effigy of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inside a makeshift jail cell, further intensifying their protest as they beat a cardboard version of Modi, kicking it and striking its face on the pavement.
Nikhil Gupta, the individual charged in the incident, maintained his innocence by pleading not guilty. Allegations state that Gupta was recruited by Yadav to assist in orchestrating the assassination. The 53-year-old Gupta has been denied bail while in custody since his extradition from the Czech Republic in June of this year, where he had been arrested in connection with the case.
In November 2023, U.S. officials revealed that a plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun had been thwarted earlier in June following a sting operation executed by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Pannun, a 57-year-old advocate for an independent Sikh state, is labeled a terrorist by the Indian government.
According to prosecutors, Yadav contacted Gupta in May 2023, seeking his help in the conspiracy after Gupta allegedly discussed his involvement in international narcotics and arms trafficking in his communications. Yadav instructed Gupta to reach out to someone he believed to be a criminal associate for assistance in procuring a hitman, though this individual was actually a DEA informant.
The indictment reveals that Yadav had allegedly offered Gupta $150,000 for the assassination, noting that the offer could increase based on the execution quality and urgency of the task. Gupta, as per the indictment, even indicated to the informant that he had additional assignments in mind, suggesting a desire for two to three more targeted killings each month.
Pannun, who was not present in court during the hearing, voiced his thoughts in a phone interview afterward. He asserted that the demonstrators were rightfully directing their anger at Modi, attributing the assassination directive to the prime minister’s office. Pannun criticized the updated indictment for focusing on a single Indian government employee, asserting that it would not curb what he called Modi’s violent, transnational repression. He emphasized that New Delhi still maintains a robust network of spies in the U.S. that remains loyal to Modi’s agenda.