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Sikh Coalition welcomes Indian national’s guilty plea in Pannun case
The organization urged U.S. authorities to pursue wider accountability following the guilty plea.
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Malvika Choudhary - Mon, 16, Feb 2026
- 13:29 EST
- 42
Sikh Coalition/ Nikhil Gupta / File Photo/U.S. District Court
The Sikh Coalition on Feb. 16 welcomed the guilty plea of Indian national Nikhil Gupta in a thwarted murder-for-hire plot to kill Khalistani activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on U.S. soil.
Calling it a pivotal moment in the fight against transnational threats targeting the Sikh community in the United States, the Sikh Coalition said Gupta’s admission of guilt marked the first meaningful step toward accountability since the case was first revealed more than two years ago.
“Gupta’s guilty plea is the first significant step towards justice that we’ve seen since the plot to assassinate Sikhs on U.S. soil was revealed more than two years ago,” the Sikh Coalition said, adding that it was “equally critical to recognize that he was not alone.”
The group pointed to findings by U.S. law enforcement that Gupta acted “at the direction and coordination of an Indian government employee,” which it said underscores the need for broader accountability beyond the individual defendant.
The statement also referenced remarks by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, who said, “Our message to all nefarious foreign actors should be clear: steer clear of the United States and our people.”
The Sikh Coalition said that stance must extend to “any senior officials in the Indian government who were aware of, aiding, or directing this campaign of violence against Sikhs.”
It further called for concrete, high-level action by U.S. authorities to make clear that transnational repression, and the threats it poses to U.S. sovereignty and national security, will not be tolerated.
Gupta, an Indian national, pleaded guilty in federal court to three charges—murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering—stemming from a November 2023 indictment.
U.S. prosecutors have alleged that the conspiracy involved plans to assassinate at least one U.S.-based Sikh individual.
According to court filings, Gupta acted as an intermediary and made payments to arrange the killing, unaware that he was communicating with an undercover law enforcement agent. Federal authorities have said the plot was disrupted before any attack could be carried out.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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