NEW DELHI: A high powered committee set up by the Union government to examine activities of criminals and terrorist groups working against US and Indian interests has in its report recommended legal action against an individual, who is identified as ‘CC-1’ in an indictment filed in New York City, for his alleged involvement in a foiled plot to assassinate Khalistani separatist Gurupatwant Singh Pannun, who is holding dual citizenship of the US and Canada.The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), while confirming the submission of the report, in a statement said that the enquiry committee was formed in 2023 to probe the individual’s links with the drug mafia and criminal gangs after allegations surfaced that a plot was hatched to disturb American security interest in 2023.The MHA in the statement said, “After a long enquiry, the Committee has recommended legal action against an individual, whose earlier criminal links and antecedents also came to notice during the enquiry.”According to sources, the individual as mentioned in the report, was later came to be known as ‘CC-1’and was later identified by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as Vikash Yadav. Yadav had earlier worked with India’s Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), but the Government of India had said ‘CC-1’ was no longer its employee.The MHA further said that the high-powered panel has also recommended that the legal action against the individual must be completed expeditiously.“The Enquiry Committee conducted its own investigations and also pursued leads provided by the US side. It received full cooperation from US authorities and the two sides also exchanged visits. The Committee further examined a number of officials from different agencies and also scrutinised relevant documents in this connection,” the MHA said.In the statement, the MHA said that the panel has further recommended “functional improvements in systems and procedures as also initiation of steps that could strengthen India’s response capability, ensure systematic controls and coordinated action in dealing with matters like this”.The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York had reportedly said that it had registered “murder-for-hire and money laundering charges” against Vikash Yadav for trying to kill Pannun.According to reports coming from the US, the FBI had also accused Indian agents of involvement in the assassination attempt.“The FBI will not tolerate acts of violence or other efforts to retaliate against those residing in the US for exercising their constitutionally protected rights,” then FBI director Christopher Wray had said.It is to be noted here that Yadav is accused of recruiting an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, in May 2023 to execute the assassination, but Gupta was arrested in Prague in June that year, after travelling from India, and was subsequently extradited to the US, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges.It was alleged that Yadav with the help of Gupta contracted an individual to carry out the killing for $100,000.
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