Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national aged 52 was extradited from the Czech Republic in connection with the assassination of sikh terrorist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Gupta was said to appear before the Federal court of law in New York this Monday. Nikhil Gupta was suspected by the US in the murder of a terrorist leader last year on American soil. As per reports Nikhil was apprehended from the Czech Republic over the conspiracy. Currently, he is in the Federal Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn. The Washington Post broke the news of his arrest by the US. Nikhil was detained and arrived in New York over the weekend. Generally, the defendants should appear in court within a day of their arrival. As per sources, Gupta hired the hitman to kill Pannun and paid $ 15,000 in advance before the killing. US federal prosecutors also allege that an Indian government official is involved in this murder, the name is yet to be revealed. The US also claimed that Nikhil Gupta was just carrying out his duties at the behest of the unidentified Indian government official in the murder of Khalistan’s rebel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is one of the main leaders of the Khalistan movement, who supports the separation of the state from Punjab and also from many neighbouring areas in India over religious grounds. He was organizing many rallies and events around the world including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Besides this, the Indian government has rejected any sort of involvement in this murder and also launched an investigation. The arrest is now going to heat the relations between India and the US as this incident just happened before the scheduled visit of US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to New Delhi for the ICET annual dialogue. On the flipside, Nikhil Gupta’s lawyer denied the accusations against him and claimed that he had been “unfairly Framed” in this murder. Rohini Musa, Nikhil Gupta's attorney has also written a letter to the Supreme Court of India saying that her client has been unfairly prosecuted, claiming that there is no evidence linking the petitioner to the assassination. Musa also said that India and the United States are going to blame each other for their foreign policy.