An Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, pleaded guilty on Friday in a federal court in Manhattan to charges linked to an alleged assassination plot targeting a Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States, reported New York Times.
Gupta admitted to all three charges, including murder-for-hire and conspiracy counts, during proceedings before a US federal court. Prosecutors said the charges stem from an alleged plot against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an American citizen and a vocal proponent of separatism in India’s Punjab. Pannun is associated with the New York-based organisation Sikhs for Justice.
US prosecutors have claimed that Gupta was acting at the behest of an individual described as an Indian government official. The Government of India has categorically rejected these allegations, maintaining that no official involvement has been established. Indian authorities have earlier said the matter is being examined through appropriate legal and diplomatic channels.
Gupta was extradited to the US from the Czech Republic in June 2024 and had made his first appearance in Manhattan federal court before Magistrate Judge James Cott.
At his arraignment, he had first pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic at the request of the US government on charges of being involved in a plot to assassinate Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. Pannun holds dual American and Canadian citizenship.