Indian Suspect's Family Contacted by New Delhi in US Sikh Murder Plot

June 22 :
The Indian foreign ministry stated on June 21 that they are in communication with the family of an Indian citizen who is accused of conspiring with an Indian government official to assassinate a Sikh separatist in the US.

U.S. federal prosecutors have accused Nikhil Gupta of planning with an Indian official to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a U.S. citizen, and extradited him to the US this month following his detention in Prague last year.

Speaking with Reuters on June 20, a source close to Gupta's family said that they needed New Delhi's assistance to "get justice" after the 52-year-old pleaded not guilty on Monday to murder-for-hire conspiracy allegations in a Manhattan court.

Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal of the Indian Foreign Ministry informed reporters that although Gupta's family has contacted them, the Indian government has not received any requests for consular access from them. We are currently communicating with the family members and are investigating their request for action.

The United States administration has cautioned India about suspicions of its complicity and claimed to have foiled the attempt to assassinate Pannun. The Indian government has distanced itself from the scheme and labelled Pannun a "individual terrorist" because it contradicts official policies. A separate Sikh nation in northern India is something Pannun is fighting for.

According to the anonymous source, Gupta's family has been unable to get in touch with him since his extradition because the matter is delicate and has diplomatic consequences.

Whatever the case may be, he is a patriot and an Indian citizen deserving of the privileges and protections bestowed upon him by his government. Gupta "is a victim in this series of events but that he will get justice," according to the source, who also claimed that the family believed this.