‘To complicate Indian elections’: Russia slams US report on Pannun murder plot

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia has accused the United States of meddling in India’s internal affairs and the ongoing parliamentary elections while castigating The Washington Post for its report on the alleged involvement of Indian citizens in a plot to kill a Khalistani terrorist on American soil. Russia said that Washington has failed to provide any reliable evidence to back the allegations, adding that the “regular unfounded accusations” against New Delhi were an attempt by the White House to complicate the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

When asked to respond to The Washington Post report, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, “According to the information we have, Washington has not yet provided any reliable evidence of the involvement of Indian citizens in the preparation of the murder of a certain GS Pannun. Speculation on this topic in the absence of evidence is unacceptable.”

In November of last year, US federal prosecutors charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta, alleging his involvement alongside an Indian government employee in the foiled assassination plot targeting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Pannun, spokesperson for banned ‘Sikhs for Justice’ and a designated terrorist in India, holds dual citizenship in the US and Canada.

Read: Russia slams US claims on Gurpatwant Pannun murder ‘plot’: ‘No evidence…not acceptable’

A recent report by The Post claimed that a RAW official, identified as Vikram Yadav, was involved in the assassination plot of Pannun and the move was approved by the then Indian spy agency chief Samant Goel.

The report also claimed that India is “part of an expanding roster of countries employing tactics previously associated with China, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and other repressive regimes.”

“The Washington Post, it seems to me, should use the term “repressive regime” and everything you quoted in relation to Washington. It is difficult to imagine a more repressive regime than Washington, both in domestic and international affairs,” Zakharova said.

She criticised the US for making unfounded accusations and lacking an understanding of India’s national mentality and history.

“Regular unfounded accusations by the United States against New Delhi …we see that they groundlessly accuse not only India but also many other states…of violating religious freedoms are a reflection of the United States’ misunderstanding of the national mentality, the historical context of the development of the Indian state and disrespect for India as a state,” she said.

“The reason is that they try to unbalance the internal political situation in India in order to complicate the (ongoing) general parliamentary elections. That is part of meddling into India’s internal affairs,” RT news quoted her as saying.

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