New Delhi: Is Vikas Yadav a spy who the country should respect, or an extortionist working for a notorious gangster, presently operating from behind the bars?
On Monday, the Patiala House Court exempted Yadav from physically appearing in a case registered against him by the Delhi Police, for allegedly abducting a person in 2023 and demanding ransom. Yadav has worked for the Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) – India’s external intelligence agency – in the past.
The US also accused him of masterminding the murder-for-hire plot against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a citizen of that country. Pannun was born in India but managed to travel to the US with fake travel documents. He is now a leader of the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) – an organisation associated with the Khalistani movement. Pannun claims to be a dual citizen of the US and Canada and has threatened armed strikes against India.
Pannun has been designated a terrorist by the Government of India and the SFJ is a banned organisation in the country. And then, allegations were made that Yadav attempted to kill Pannun in the US by engaging a hired killer. His so-called accomplice Nikhil Gupta is now in prison in Brooklyn.
It is still not known whether these allegations are correct, but if they are, questions will arise on whether Yadav was trying to eliminate Pannun as per an R&AW plan, or working for dreaded gangster Lawrence Bishnoi – now in prison in India. Bishnoi has claimed in the past that he is not anti-national and is against the idea of Khalistan that demands separation from India.
Security agencies in India are sceptical though and claim that the gangster has links with the Babbar Khalsa, a banned Khalistani outfit. Bishnoi’s anger against the SFJ and Pannun could be for other reasons, such as the control over transnational crime syndicates, officials say. The Bishnoi gang operates in Canada through gangster Goldy Brar.
The case against Yadav being heard by the Patiala House Court does not pertain to the SFJ or Pannun though. The Delhi Police has charged Yadav of and one Abdullah Khan of abducting a person and demanding ransom from him. Yadav was arrested in this case in December 2023 and accused of abduction and attempt to murder. He got bail later.
On an earlier date, the Court had sought Yadav’s personal appearance on Monday. However, his lawyer pleaded that the former R&AW agent should not be forced to appear in person as there is a threat to his life. The court accepted the plea. This is the third time that the court has done that in this case.
The court ordered the the argument on charges against Yadav will begin on May 22.
