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Separatist leader Gurpatwant Pannun initiates law suit against Indian govt, NSA Ajit Doval
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has also alleged that he is being targeted due to his efforts to promote Khalistan and organise an unofficial Khalistan referendum.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, general counsel for the pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice, has initiated a civil lawsuit in a US federal district court against the Indian government, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and others, claiming damages for an alleged assassination attempt against him that took place on United States soil last year.
In June 2023, a murder plot against Pannun, a US-Canadian dual citizen of Indian origin and designated terrorist by India, was thwarted, allowing him to evade the attempt on his life, The Times of India reported.
The lawsuit filed on Tuesday in the southern district of New York also lists former R&AW chief Samant Goel, senior R&AW officer Vikram Yadav, and Nikhil Gupta, who is an Indian national in a New York jail on murder-for-hire charges.
Nikhil Gupta is accused of attempting to hire hitmen to kill Pannun. The civil case includes “possible defendants whose identities are not yet known.”
Local media, The Globe and Mail quoting Pannun, reported that the civil lawsuit in the US district court aims to hold the Indian government accountable for its alleged role in the assassination plots. Pannun's lawyers have acknowledged that pursuing justice through criminal courts would be challenging, the report mentioned.
Pannun is seeking financial compensation for assault, which includes the attempt to cause physical harm and for extreme emotional distress. He asserts that his life remains under threat.
The lawsuit alleges that Yadav, who was directed by R&AW recruited Gupta to arrange a murder attempt on Pannun, which was approved by Goel and Doval.
The plot was stopped because the hitmen were undercover US agents. Although the complaint suggests PM Modi was aware of the plot, he is not included in the lawsuit due to his diplomatic immunity.
The Indian government has already established a high-level inquiry committee to examine the allegations.
Also read: Russia slams US claims on Gurpatwant Pannun murder ‘plot’
In the complaint Pannun says that it was not a “rogue operative” behind the plot and alleges that “India has been traced to over 20 recent international murders carried out by R&AW”.
“This lawsuit seeks to hold the GOI and a number of high-ranking officials there accountable under US tort law,” said Pannun’s counsel, Matthew Borden of Braun Hagey & Borden LLP.
“This is a civil claim for compensation to Pannun for the damages he has incurred,” Borden said. “The amount of damages we are going to seek will be proven at trial. It will be based on all the security he has had to engage,” he added.
In the complaint, Pannun has also alleged that he is being targeted due to his efforts to promote Khalistan and organise an unofficial Khalistan referendum.
