American legislators have mounted pressure on the Joe Biden administration to “press the Indian government” to hold those involved in plotting to kill Khalistani activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York in June last year “criminally accountable”.

The legislators also want the US government “to ensure” the Indian dispensation “does not repeat such acts of transnational repression”.

Nikhil Gupta, accused of plotting to kill Pannun, on Monday pleaded not guilty in a US federal court after he was extradited from the Czech Republic.

According to a BBC report from New York, Gupta appeared for the first time in court after landing in the US on Friday.

He has been charged by US authorities of trying to hire a hitman to kill Pannun under instructions from an unnamed Indian government official.

India had denied the charge, expressed concern and maintained that this was contrary to government policy.

Gupta was detained at the Prague airport on June 30, 2023, under extradition orders issued by the US justice department. On June 3 this year, the Czech justice minister granted permission to extradite Gupta to the US for criminal prosecution. He was extradited on Friday and presented in court on Monday.

On the day Gupta appeared in court, five Senators of the Democratic Party, including Bernie Sanders, urged the Biden administration to make respect for human rights a core agenda item with the Indian government.

“India must maintain its commitment to respecting human rights at home and abroad as it aspires to global leadership…. The United States must be firm and resolute in opposing transnational repression, no matter the perpetrator,” the five senators said in a letter to secretary of state Antony Blinken.

The senators — Jeffrey Merkley, Chris Van Hollen, Tim Kain, Sanders and Ron Wyden — said: “We write to express our deep concern about credible allegations of the Indian government’s involvement in a foiled plot to assassinate an American citizen on US soil, as well as reports of ongoing harassment and threats against Sikh Americans. We urge a strong diplomatic response to ensure that all of those who were involved are held accountable, and request a briefing on the status of the Administration’s engagement with the Indian government on this matter.”

Acknowledging how crucial the bilateral relationship is, they added: “As the two largest democracies in the world, this partnership must not only be based on mutual strategic interests, but also grounded in shared commitment to democratic principles and the rule of law, including respect for sovereignty and the individual rights and freedoms that are fundamental to any democracy.”

The senators also demanded that a clear message be communicated to India that there will be consequences for such behaviour. “It is imperative that we take an unequivocal stand against such a threat to the rights of a US citizen and violation of US sovereignty, which are examples of India’s increasingly irresponsible efforts to silence critics of its government among its diaspora around the world.”

Australia’s intelligence chief Mike Burgess had in 2021 talked about interference in domestic politics by a “nest of spies” but did not identify them. These spies were identified by multiple media outlets earlier this year as Indian, the BBC reported on May 1, adding that these “spies” had monitored “their country’s diaspora”.

Canada too has made similar allegations of political interference with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleging an Indian hand in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia last year, setting bilateral relations downhill.