Two years after Canada’s explosive accusation that India was behind the murder of a Sikh separatist leader on Canadian soil, the diplomatic fallout continues to ripple across continents—now drawing in the United States, the United Kingdom, and a host of international actors. On September 25, 2025, Canadian authorities arrested Inderjeet Singh Gosal, the successor to the slain Sikh leader, on firearms charges. This arrest came amid Gosal’s public allegations that India was plotting to kill him as well, and at a moment when both India and Canada have been gingerly working to ease tensions by sending new ambassadors and sharing more intelligence, according to reporting from Canadian officials.
Canada has insisted that Gosal’s arrest is strictly a local law-enforcement matter. Yet, the timing and optics are hard to ignore, especially as the US-Canada-India triangle becomes increasingly fraught. The original diplomatic rift began two years earlier, when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly accused Indian officials of orchestrating the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh separatist activist in Canada. India has consistently denied any involvement in Nijjar’s murder, calling the claims baseless. However, the episode set off a chain of events that now stretches across borders and into the heart of US legal proceedings.
In a move that’s already stirring controversy in India, the US Department of Justice has enlisted Professor Nitasha Kaul—a British academic of Indian origin—as an expert witness in the ongoing trial surrounding an alleged assassination plot against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, another high-profile Khalistani separatist. As detailed in court filings and reported by independent journalist Journalist V, Professor Kaul will testify about the Indian government’s condemnation of Pannun and Nijjar for their terrorist activities, as well as the structure and mandate of India’s foreign intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). According to the filings, Kaul is expected to explain that RAW operates under the Cabinet Secretariat, is based in New Delhi, and frequently employs officers from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to quell Sikh separatist movements abroad.
Professor Kaul, who teaches Politics, International Relations, and Critical Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Westminster in London and serves as Director of its Centre for the Study of Democracy, is no stranger to controversy herself. In May 2024, the Indian government revoked her Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, citing what it described as “anti-India activities, motivated by malice and complete disregard for facts or history.” The official document, shared by Kaul on social media, accused her of regularly targeting India and its institutions at international forums and on social platforms, allegedly threatening India’s sovereignty. Kaul, for her part, has pushed back, saying the revocation was a form of “transnational repression” and punishment for her scholarly work critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. She described the move as evidence of India’s “thin-skinned, petty insecurity” and insisted she would continue to advocate for “democracy and civil liberties.”
Kaul’s history of activism and criticism of the Indian government runs deep. In February 2024, she was deported from Bengaluru airport after Indian authorities issued a preventive lookout circular against her, citing her “pro-separatist” statements and public positions on Kashmir. Kaul later said she was detained at the airport and denied entry despite having all necessary documentation. She has also been vocal about her skepticism of India’s Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), at one point sharing a fictional story about EVMs failing to count votes—a narrative that echoed conspiracy theories promoted by opposition parties in India. Her participation in events organized by groups critical of Indian policy, such as ‘Stand With Kashmir’ and the ‘Indian American Muslim Council,’ and her remarks following the death of former Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, have further fueled criticism from Indian officials and pro-government media.
The US government’s decision to call Kaul as an expert witness in the Pannun assassination plot trial has raised eyebrows in India, where many see it as Washington giving a platform to what they view as an “anti-India propagandist.” Critics argue that her testimony could unfairly paint New Delhi in a negative light, especially given her contentious history with Indian authorities. For some, this move looks like part of a broader effort to isolate India internationally at a time when New Delhi is already facing allegations from both Canada and the US regarding its alleged targeting of Sikh separatists abroad.
The case at the heart of the current US trial centers on Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US-based Khalistani separatist with dual US and Canadian citizenship. Pannun, who leads the organization Sikhs For Justice—designated a terrorist outfit by the Indian government—has been accused by India of promoting violence against Indian diplomats and propagating Khalistani sentiments. The assassination plot against him was revealed in November 2023, when the US Department of Justice charged two Indian nationals: Vikash Yadav, accused of directing the plot from India, and Nikhil Gupta, who was arrested in the Czech Republic and is currently detained in Brooklyn, New York.
According to media reports and the US indictment, Yadav, a former employee of India’s Cabinet Secretariat, allegedly tasked Gupta with finding a hitman in the US to eliminate Pannun. Gupta was detained in Prague in June 2023 and extradited to the US a year later. The US Justice Department claims that an unidentified Indian government employee—initially referred to as “CC-1” but now identified as Yadav—recruited Gupta to hire an assassin. These allegations surfaced just months after Canada’s accusations regarding Nijjar’s murder, further compounding diplomatic strains. India, for its part, has categorically denied any involvement in either case.
For observers, the intertwining of these cases signals not just a legal or security issue, but a broader geopolitical contest over narratives, influence, and the boundaries of state action. The involvement of high-profile figures like Kaul, and the willingness of Western governments to pursue these cases publicly, highlights a willingness to challenge India’s actions on the global stage—even as India’s government insists it is being unfairly targeted and maligned.
Meanwhile, Canada and India are attempting to patch up relations, with both sides sending new ambassadors and increasing intelligence cooperation, particularly in the context of the ongoing US-China trade war. However, the arrest of Gosal, the legal proceedings against Gupta and Yadav, and the controversial role of Kaul as an expert witness suggest that the road to reconciliation will be anything but smooth.
The coming months will likely see more heated exchanges, legal maneuvering, and, perhaps, further revelations about the shadowy world of transnational intelligence operations, separatist politics, and the fraught politics of diaspora communities. For now, the only certainty is that the story is far from over.
