Czech Republic Extradites Suspect of Assassination Plot Against Indian Opposition Figure to the U.S.

The police of the Czech Republic announced that an Indian citizen suspected of being involved in an alleged plot to kill a Sikh separatist in the United States has been handed over to the U.S. The Czech police reported on Monday, June 18, that the suspect was delivered to the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday, June 15. The Czech Constitutional Court had approved the extradition of Mr. Gupta to the U.S. in May. The U.S. had filed an indictment against Nikhil Gupta, a drug and arms trafficker, last fall, stating that he was tasked with hiring a hitman to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the U.S. Nikhil Gupta was arrested by Czech intelligence on June 30 of last year in Prague and had been awaiting a Czech court ruling regarding the U.S. request for his extradition and trial in the U.S. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the target of the assassination plot, is 'a staunch critic of the Indian government and leads an organization based in the U.S. that supports the separation of Punjab, a northern Indian state with a Sikh population.' The U.S. government announced last December that the assassination plot against Mr. Pannun was raised 'at the highest levels' between the U.S. and India, emphasizing that those involved must be held accountable. The Washington Post reported in May this year, citing the indictment presented to the U.S. court regarding this case, that the terrorist plot, directed from within Indian intelligence, was ultimately thwarted by U.S. security and intelligence agencies. According to this report, the CIA, FBI, and other U.S. intelligence and security agencies were involved in the investigation of the assassination plot against Mr. Pannun and concluded that the order for the assassination had been approved by Samant Goyal, the head of RAW. RAW, or the Research and Analysis Wing, is India's foreign intelligence agency and the primary organization for overseas intelligence related to foreign activities. Under Narendra Modi's government, India has witnessed economic growth and an enhanced global standing, but Freedom House, an organization that monitors and evaluates civil liberties worldwide, has emphasized the deepening authoritarianism in India, placing the country among those governments that do not hesitate to suppress dissenters, activists, and journalists abroad. This report ranks India alongside regimes like the Islamic Republic of Iran, China, and Russia, which employ various and extensive methods and tactics to suppress dissent, from organized activities in cyberspace to spyware and inflaming nationalism.