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Indian Involved in Pannun Plot Asserts 'US Agents’ Kidnapped Him in Czech Republic

There is a widespread belief in India that the US has been condoning the activities of Sikh radicals such as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen and a designated terrorist in India.
Sputnik
Nikhil Gupta, a 52-year-old Indian citizen indicted by the US in an alleged foiled plot to assassinate pro-Khalistan terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, has sought the help of the Indian government to get him released from custody in Prague, where he has been detained since June 30.
Gupta, through his lawyer, has filed a Habeus Corpus petition before the Indian Supreme Court (SC), seeking New Delhi’s intervention in the matter.

According to the Supreme Court’s website, the petition is titled ‘Mr. X vs Union of India and others’. Filed on 12 December, it lists India’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian Embassy in Czech Republic as “respondents”.

The petition came up for hearing before a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Friday.

Reporting on the court proceedings, legal news website Bar and Bench said that Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SV Bhatti “prima facie” opined that Gupta will have to approach the Czech court as he had been detained in the country.

According to US reports, Gupta has been detained in Prague at the request of the Biden administration under a mutual extradition treaty arrangement.

The Indian Supreme Court bench have posted the matter for further consideration on 4 January, 2024.

‘Apprehended by Self-Claimed US Agents’ in Prague, Plea Says

He was reportedly then forced into an SUV and a device plugged to his mobile phone, the plea stated, adding that the questioning lasted for around three hours.

“Furthermore, the petitioner submits that the self-introduced American agents even forcefully made the Petitioner open/unlock his phone using face ID feature (on the iPhone). They also took pictures of the petitioner. After much resistance from the petitioner, the individuals who had apprehended the petitioner identified themselves to be American agents," the Bar and Bench quoted from the plea.

The plea contended that once in Czech authorities’ custody, Gupta was “forced” to consume beef and pork, which violated his religious beliefs as a Hindu.

It claimed that he was denied consular assistance and his right to seek legal representation.
Gupta’s lawyer has said that the whole episode violated Gupta’s rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In an indictment unsealed by the Department of Justice (DoJ) in a New York court last month, Gupta has been charged with “murder-for-hire” to take out Pannun by the US investigators.
The US indictment claims that Gupta was “directed” by an Indian official to orchestrate the plot.
India has constituted a “high-level” probe to look into the charges.
Sputnik Opinion
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