‘Probe panel formed on US inputs, bearing on security’

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that India has set up an inquiry committee to investigate the inputs received from the US as these have a bearing on the nation’s national security. This comes days after Washington claimed that India was involved in an abortive attempt to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil.

Replying to a supplementary question on the US charges, the minister said it was not directly connected to the original question which was on the foreign visits of Union ministers.

“Insofar as the US is concerned, certain inputs were given to us as part of our security cooperation with the United States.

Those inputs were of concern to us because they (were) related to the nexus of organised crime, trafficking and other matters.

The minister was also asked why there was no equitable treatment with regard to charges made by the Canadian government.

Last month, US federal prosecutors charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta with working with an Indian government employee in the foiled plot to kill Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who holds dual citizenship of the US and Canada.

Earlier, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on September 18 made an explosive allegation of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, on Canadian soil on June 18.

India has strongly rejected Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd” and “motivated.”