Indian national Nikhil Gupta has pleaded guilty in a US federal court for plotting the assassination of Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York.
It is yet another indictment of a state’s conduct beyond its borders. In the US District Court for Southern District of New York, prosecutors laid out a chilling narrative: a murder-for-hire scheme directed by Gupta acting at the direction of an official linked to India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which oversees the Research and Analysis Wing. This case is part of a broader pattern of targeting Sikh activists abroad, demonstrating the transnational reach of such operations.
For years, India has portrayed itself as a victim of terrorism. Yet this case described by US authorities as transnational repression tells a different yet a true story. When a government seeks to silence dissent abroad through assassination, it crosses from grievance into criminality. As the US Attorney Jay Clayton noted, the target was exercising his right to free speech in the United States.This is not an isolated incident. Canada has accused India of involvement in the 2023 killing of a Sikh leader in British Columbia.
Taken together, these cases point to a troubling pattern: the projection of coercion and violence far beyond India’s borders. India is involved in state terrorism not only in neighborhood but beyond. The international community cannot afford selective outrage. Upholding sovereignty and rule of law requires consistent standards. The time has come for democratic governments to demand transparency, accountability and firm consequences where evidence warrants. Silence or equivocation will only embolden further transnational crimes. The defense of global norms depends on confronting violations whoever commits them.
