RAW
SAN FRANCISCO: In a significant development, India’s intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) has reportedly ceased operations in North America for the first time since its establishment in 1968. This decision comes ahead of anticipated criminal charges against one of its citizens, Nikhil Gupta, accused of conspiring to assassinate pro-Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan revealed that Gupta collaborated with an Indian government employee, responsible for security and intelligence, in the plot against Pannun. This move raises global scrutiny on RAW, particularly after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian government agents of involvement in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver.
The fallout from these incidents has heightened concerns about increased international monitoring of RAW. Retired and serving Indian security officials, speaking anonymously, highlighted RAW’s expanded role since the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The agency reportedly sought to play a more assertive international role, influenced by India’s inability to extradite a US citizen involved in the Mumbai attacks.
In response, Pakistan expressed apprehension over India’s alleged covert operations, condemning them as violations of international law. ThePrint report disclosed that two high-ranking RAW officers were asked to leave their posts in major Western cities earlier in the summer, signaling discontent with perceived violations by RAW in the US, Canada, and the UK.
The report also detailed the expulsion of RAW’s station chief in Ottawa, Pavan Rai, and the closure of RAW’s stations in San Francisco and Washington DC, leaving the agency unrepresented in North America for the first time in over 50 years. The US prosecutors claimed that Gupta was offered $150,000 by someone claiming to work for Indian intelligence for the murder of an unnamed Khalistan lawyer and activist.
Amidst these revelations, RAW’s increasing involvement in Sikh diasporic politics drew criticism from British intelligence. The situation reflects escalating tensions, prompting an unnamed senior RAW officer to acknowledge the severity of the problem and potential involvement of ambassadors or high commissioners if matters escalate further.
