PM Modi reacts to allegations of India’s involvement in Pannun’s assassination plot, commits to rule of law
Narendra Modi in an interview on Wednesday raised concerns of extremists engaging in violence and intimidation overseas under the guise of freedom of expression while saying that the country is committed to the rule of law.
In an interview with The Financial Times, PM Modi responded to allegations of India's plot to assassinate Khalistani extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States, saying that he will 'look into any evidence' pertaining to the incident.
«If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it. If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it.
Our commitment is to the rule of law,» FT quoted Modi as saying.
Concerns have been raised over these allegations affecting India's burgeoning relations with the United States, yet Modi assured that these isolated incidents will not derail the relations.
“Security and counter-terrorism co-operation has been a key component of our partnership,” Modi said. “I don’t think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries.”
Earlier in November, the US Department of Justice unsealed an indictment against an Indian national for his alleged involvement in a foiled plot to assassinate a US-based leader of the Sikh Separatist Movement and a citizen in New York.
The US Justice Department has claimed that an Indian government employee (named CC-1), who was not identified in the indictment filed in a federal court in Manhattan, recruited an Indian national named Nikhil Gupta to hire a hitman to carry out the assassination, which was foiled by US authorities, according to prosecutors.
Following this, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that a case filed against an
