NEW DELHI: India confirmed Thursday that a security official named in an indictment by U.S. prosecutors as the person who allegedly led a plot to assassinate pro-Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil had been fired .

The announcement by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal comes a day after the US State Department said the Indian side had informed Washington of the removal of the official, identified only as ‘CC-1’ in the indictment filed by prosecutors in a Manhattan court last time. November.

When Jaiswal was asked at a regular press briefing whether the official named in the US Justice Department indictment had been removed from his position, he replied: “Yes, I confirm that he is no longer an employee of the Indian government. »

Jaiswal declined to elaborate in response to further questions about the official and his current status, and only said he was no longer “part of the Indian government setup.” He added: “Beyond that, I have nothing to share with you. »

In the indictment filed against Indian national Nikhil Gupta, U.S. prosecutors alleged that CC-1 “directed the assassination plot from India.” The indictment described CC-1 as a government intelligence employee who had previously served in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRFP).

Reports by HT and other media outlets identified CC-1 as CRPF official Vikram Yadav, seconded to the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). He was removed from the intelligence agency earlier this year along with other officials.

Gupta, arrested in the Czech Republic and later extradited to the United States, contacted a person he believed to be a criminal associate to help him hire a hitman to murder Pannun, according to the U.S. indictment. This person was actually a confidential source working with US law enforcement. The source introduced Gupta to an alleged hitman, who was an undercover agent for U.S. law enforcement.

Pannun has already been declared a terrorist by India and his organization, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), banned under an anti-terrorism law.

On Wednesday, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the Indian side had informed the United States that “the individual named in the Department of Justice indictment is no longer an employee of the Indian government.

Jaiswal said two members of the high-level commission of inquiry set up by India to examine information provided by the United States regarding the foiled assassination plot visited Washington for meetings and to share “several ideas on the contributions received”.

“We took these contributions very seriously and we have remained in contact with the United States on this particular issue,” he said.

In response to questions about calls from Canada’s partners in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance – Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom – for New Delhi to cooperate with the investigation of Ottawa over the killing of pro-Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Jaiswal said. the Canadian government “has not shared any evidence with us.”

Canada has provided no evidence to support the serious allegations it has made, he said. As the Five Eyes members called on India to take Canada’s allegations seriously, Jaiswal said: “(Canadian) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s own admissions would indicate the merit of these allegations.” Regarding our position on these allegations, we will naturally reject the false accusations made against our diplomats.