Who is Vikash Yadav, Indian agent accused by US in Sikh assassination plot?

A US indictment has named Yadav as the mastermind behind the foiled plot to murder Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

The United States government on Thursday unsealed an indictment against Vikash Yadav, a former Indian intelligence officer, accusing him of spearheading a failed plot to murder Indian-American Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil in 2023.

The unveiling of the charges was accompanied by a series of stern comments from top US law enforcement officials, including Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray, saying Washington would not tolerate a foreign national targeting American citizens.

The case has muddied waters for India and the US, close partners who both see China as a principal rival, and comes at a time when New Delhi is also locked in tensions with Canada over similar allegations.

Here is what we know about Yadav, what he is accused of, where India fits in, and why all this matters.

Yadav, a resident and citizen of India, directed an Indian man, Nikhil Gupta, around May 2023 to orchestrate the killing of Pannun, the US alleges.

According to the indictment unsealed on Thursday, Yadav, 39, is also known by the name Vikas and goes by the alias Amanat.

The indictment alleges that Yadav was employed by the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India’s external intelligence agency. It described Yadav as a “Senior Field Officer” working in security management and intelligence.

The US document also says Yadav has worked for India’s largest paramilitary force, the Central Reserve Police Force, as an “Assistant Commandment”.

Yadav provided his co-conspirator, Gupta, with details about Pannun’s home address in New York, his phone number and his day-to-day conduct,