Monday Musings: Yes Boss, says India

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By Amitabh Srivastava, Copy Edited By Adam Rizvi, The India Observer, TIO: Those familiar with the working of the Modi Government since 2014 are quite used to their unprincipled principle of ‘use and throw’. But what they did last week was not just use and throw but betrayal of trust of its own security agencies which is almost like playing with fire.

It seems the desperate need to mark his presence at the swearing-in of Howdy Donald Trump on Monday on his second term by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar (Modi has not been invited) took priority over every other concern and commitment and the Indian Government decided to throw two of their secret operatives ‘Vikash Yadav’ and ‘Nikhil Gupta’ under the bus.

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The two had been identified by American agencies about 15 months back for planning to eliminate Sikhs belonging to Khalistan supporters like Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, lawyer of ‘Sikhs for Justice’ holding dual citizenship of America and Canada.

Nikhil Gupta, a businessman originally from Gujarat has been in an American jail for the last seven months. He is believed to have confessed in a taped conversation that he had been hired by an Indian Government official to eliminate Khalistani supporters outside India in lieu of absolving him of some cases against him in Gujarat, besides monetary compensation. In a detailed conversation recorded in the botched up operation Gupta spoke to a supposed killer, who turned out to be an American under cover operative and spilled the beans.

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Looks like part of the Modi Government slogan of “Ghar Mein Ghus Kar Marenge”,  which it has been raising to threaten terrorists hiding in Pakistan to win elections. Six months back the Foreign Ministry spokesperson of USA Mathew Miller had advised India and Pakistan to maintain cordial relations when Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh repeated the threat of entering enemy territory to kill its enemies if they did not stop their disruptive activities. However, the Indian government officially denied such allegations when ex Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made public charges of the Indian government carrying out killing of Sikhs in Canada. But the Indian Government dismissed these charges saying Trudeau had no proof.

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Nikhil Gupta on the other hand is believed to have told this agent on record that he had not only been asked to kill Pannun but assured that such assignments would continue for some more time as more and more targets would be chosen. Ever since the matter was highlighted in the media Pannun has gone on the offensive against the Modi Government while the Indian government has been in denial mode. But since Gupta has already been arrested in US after being deported from Czechoslovakia and the FBI notified the involvement of Vikash Gupta as the other operative, the Indian government agreed to inquire into this matter, if the USA gave them sufficient proof.

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The FBI identified the Vikash Yadav as someone from the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) used for its secret operations. This had been going on for more than an year but what the abides Government could not do the would be President Donald Trump achieved even without coming to power officially. The American authorities have clearly declared that they would not tolerate any attempt to harm their citizens and this forced India to do a lot of rethinking.

In a totally unexpected move last week, the Indian government issued a statement that their own inquiry had confirmed that an Indian official was indeed involved in this aborted operation and it was a sort of ‘rogue element’ who had no sanction from the Government for this operation. Although it did not mention either RAW or name the man media identified the man as Vikash Yadav, a former Central Reserve Police Force officer who had worked for RAW for several years though he had since been disowned by RAW.

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The official release of the Home Ministry read, “After a long enquiry, the Committee has submitted its report to the Government and recommended legal action against an individual, whose earlier criminal links and antecedents also came to notice during the enquiry.”

The individual known as ‘CC1’ was later identified by the FBI as Vikash Yadav, a former Research and Analysis Wing officer. The Government of India had said ‘CC1’ was no longer employed by it.

The Home Ministry also said that the committee has recommended that the legal action against the individual must be completed expeditiously.

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“The Enquiry Committee conducted its own investigations and also pursued leads provided by the US side. It received full cooperation from US authorities and the two sides also exchanged visits. The Committee further examined a number of officials from different agencies and also scrutinised relevant documents in this connection,” it said.

“The Committee has further recommended functional improvements in systems and procedures as also initiation of steps that could strengthen India’s response capability, ensure systematic controls and coordinated action in dealing with matters like this,” it added.

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Several interpretations are being given to this turnaround. Those who believe that Modi can never do wrong say that this is India’s attempt to start on a fresh slate with a new President (rather an old friend) taking over in USA.

Some like Amod K Kanth, former Director General Police in Arunachal Pradesh who also worked with the Central Bureau of investigation (CBI) and is currently Founder and Mentor of Prayas Juvenile Aid Centre, an NGO working for children and marginalised women and youth in 13 Indian States/ Union Territories feel that USA has no right to lecture India about extra-territorial killings.

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“The USA seems to have taken upon itself the responsibility of eliminating its ‘enemies’ wherever they are. Remember how they killed Osama Bin Laden by picking him from his home in Pakistan while President Barack Obama was watching the whole operation. And Obama is the Nobel Peace prize winner,” he says.

On the other hand, another former IPS officer Yashovardhan Azad, who worked with the Intelligence Bureau has a different take on this matter.

“I would prefer to go to by the Government stand that this was a rogue element and we have co- operated with the US Government and decided to take appropriate action. The government has never stated that this person was a RAW agent. I feel that these are sensitive national security issues and should be treated seriously,” he said.

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Asked about the double standards followed by USA as it killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan and it lectures India to maintain cordiality with Pakistan, he said,” After the 9/11 attack in 2001 the US has passed the USA PATRIOT ACT (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism) it has kept its options open.”

He further added, “I would not go into the right and wrong of the matter because the terrorists identified in this case have been designated terrorists by the United Nations. Why should India hesitate in taking action against such elements.”

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Curated and Compiled by Humra Kidwai

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