NEW DELHI: The US has said it would not be fully satisfied until there is “meaningful accountability” resulting from India’s investigations into the foiled murder-for-hire plot against Khalistani radical Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil.
“We continue to expect and want to see accountability based on the results of that investigation, and certainly the United States won’t be fully satisfied until there is meaningful accountability resulting from that investigation,” US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Wednesday.
He said this in the context of the US visit of an Indian enquiry committee on the case for talks last week.
Of the two main players in the alleged plot, Nikhil Gupta is in a US jail as Prague extradited him months after his arrest. The US recently named former RAW field officer Vikash Yadav as Gupta’s handler and the alleged mastermind in the conspiracy. Yadav no longer works for RAW.
In an unrelated case of extortion and kidnapping, Yadav was arrested by the Delhi Police in December last year and lodged in Tihar Jail for over four months till he managed to get regular bail.
Patel said that there was “valuable engagement with India’s inquiry committee last week.”
Information, he said, was also exchanged between “our two governments to further our respective investigations.” Patel noted the US understands that the Indian inquiry committee will continue its investigation.