The main accused in the assassination plot of USA-based Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has both Indian and Pakistani passports, court filings have revealed. Nikhil Gupta is accused of attempting to hire a hitman to assassinate the Khalistan separatist activist on US soil.
During his pre-trial detention, Nikhil Gupta requested the authorities to inform his sons in India and Pakistan of the commencement of the same in addition to the Indian Embassy.
Another bombshell in the court documents here
— Journalist V (@OnTheNewsBeat) June 30, 2025
Nikhil Gupta apparently has a son in Pakistan that he requested be notified when he was detained in Prague https://t.co/phtFZtFrAm pic.twitter.com/VgSEgVdyTh
Nikhil Gupta appeared in a US Court for the first time on the 16th of June after being extradited from the Czech Republic. The prosecutors requested the Manhattan Federal Court to hold Gupta in a detention center until his trial. Their request was granted.
The Gurpatwant Singh Pannun Assassination Plot involving Nikhil Gupta
In October last year, American authorities charged Gupta with attempting to assassinate at least 4 Khalistani leaders in North America, including Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. According to prosecutors, Gupta paid a hitman $100,000 to assassinate Pannun.
The following month, the Biden Administration revealed that it had raised the matter with Indian authorities at the highest level. It caused a significant kerfuffle in USA-India ties.
The revelation came at a time when India-Canada relations were in turmoil as well after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian authorities of involvement in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani terrorist.
Who is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun?
Pannun is a known Khalistani rabble-rouser prone to making outlandish threats on social media and in the ground. It is also suspected that he is on the payrolls of the ISI, the Pakistani intelligence agency. During the India-Pakistan Conflict 2025, he was seen all over Pakistani mainstream media spreading conspiracy theories regarding Sikh soldiers in the Indian Army.
Pannun had said, “If India attacks Pakistan, then it will be the final war for India and Modi. The Punjabis on the Indian side would serve langar for the Pakistani army.” He had also appealed to Indian Sikh Soldiers to not fight the Pakistani Army.
The Khalistani terrorist outfit, Sikhs for Justice, has recently started lobbying in Washington DC after a hiatus of 4 years.
