(MENAFN) New Delhi has strongly rebuked the Washington Post for what it termed as "speculative and irresponsible" reporting concerning India's purported involvement in the attempted assassination of Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York last year.
Pannun, who leads Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), an organization advocating for the secession of Khalistan from India, has been a contentious figure for New Delhi, leading to the outlawing of his group.
In a recent article, the Washington Post named an alleged Indian agent, Vikram Yadav, purportedly linked to orchestrating the assassination attempt. Citing sources from both the United States and Indian security officials, the report claimed that Yadav's affiliation with India's foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), provided significant evidence of the involvement of Indian authorities in the plot.
The article further alleged that the investigation, involving agencies such as the CIA, FBI, and others, had implicated higher-ranking officials within RAW, with potential links reaching to the inner circle of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Reacting to the publication, the Indian Foreign Ministry issued a stern response, denouncing the report's "unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter." The ministry emphasized that New Delhi had initiated a high-level committee to investigate security concerns shared by the United States, particularly regarding organized criminal networks and terrorism. It stressed that speculative and irresponsible comments on such matters were unhelpful.
When questioned about the report, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre acknowledged that the United States Department of Justice was conducting a criminal investigation regarding the alleged assassination attempt, refraining from commenting further on the specifics of the case.
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