NEW YORK: An Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, admitted in federal court on Friday that he was involved in a failed plan to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader in New York. The case is part of what U.S. prosecutors describe as a broader trend of threats and attacks targeting Sikh activists abroad.
According to prosecutors, Gupta was recruited by an individual they identified as an official connected to the Indian government to organize the killing. Indian authorities have denied any involvement in such a scheme.
Appearing in a Manhattan federal courtroom, Gupta pleaded guilty to three criminal charges, including murder-for-hire and conspiracy. Under federal sentencing guidelines, prosecutors estimate he could face a prison term of up to 24 years.
The intended target was Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a U.S. citizen and attorney affiliated with Sikhs for Justice, a New York-based organization advocating for an independent Sikh homeland in India’s Punjab region.
Gupta, who was extradited from India to the United States in 2024, had been formally charged with murder-for-hire and two counts of conspiracy before entering his guilty plea.
