In a significant development in international security and diplomatic relations, Nikhil Gupta, a 54-year-old Indian national, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in a high-profile assassination plot targeting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a prominent Sikh separatist leader and American citizen residing in New York. The admission came during proceedings at Manhattan federal court on Friday, revealing a complex transnational conspiracy allegedly orchestrated with the involvement of an Indian government operative.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton issued a stern warning following the plea, declaring: “Our message to nefarious foreign actors should be clear: steer clear of the United States and our people.” The case has escalated into a major diplomatic concern, highlighting foreign interference on American soil.
According to court documents, Gupta, while in India during 2023, transferred $15,000 through digital channels to an individual he believed to be a contract killer. Unbeknownst to him, this supposed assassin was actually an undercover federal agent. FBI New York Field Office Director James C. Barnacle Jr. stated that Gupta “coordinated with an Indian government employee, who directed him to carry out the killing,” describing it as an attempt by a “foreign adversary to silence a vocal critic of the Indian government.”
The courtroom proceedings drew approximately two dozen Sikh supporters from both the United States and Canada, who share Pannun’s vision of establishing an independent Sikh state called Khalistan in India’s Punjab region. Following the hearing, attendees conducted prayer services outside the courthouse, displaying yellow Khalistan flags alongside American flags.
Pannun, who India designates as a terrorist but describes himself as a human rights lawyer advocating for religious equality, stated in a post-hearing interview: “I’m not a terrorist. I am ready to take India’s bullet rather than take a step back and live like a slave.” He characterized Gupta as “just a foot soldier” and called for investigation into higher-ranking Indian officials allegedly behind the plot.
Court records indicate Gupta connected the plot to the June 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia, suggesting both operations were coordinated by the same individuals. Gupta has been detained without bail since his extradition from the Czech Republic in June 2023 and faces a potential sentence of at least twenty years imprisonment under his plea agreement, with sentencing scheduled for May 29.