India Claims Arrest of Ex-RAW Officer; Hindu Group Lobbying in US

On 14 Oct, India informed the US it has arrested ‘CC1,’ mentioned in the Gurpatwant Singh Pannun foiled assassination plot case in June 2023. The US Department of Justice has charged former Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer Vikas Yadav as CC1 in the case (SDW Vol 1 Issue 12, Story 1). India conveyed that Yadav is no longer a govt. official and a high-level enquiry committee is investigating Yadav’s other connections. Yadav, also known as Vikas or by the alias Amanat, was reportedly employed by India’s external intelligence agency (RAW), as a Senior Field Officer specializing in security management and intelligence. The indictment stated that Yadav previously served as an Assistant Commandant in the Central Reserve Police Force, India’s largest paramilitary force. Yadav was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell in December 2023 in an unrelated extortion and kidnapping case but released on bail in April 2024. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a look out notice for Yadav but his present whereabouts remain unclear. The US State Department reported that the meeting with India was productive. Meanwhile, a story examined a report on the activities of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), a US-based nonprofit established two decades ago. HAF has been actively involved in influencing US foreign policy related to India. Its founders, board members, and the affiliated Hindu American Political Action Committee, have notable donors linked to organizations affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological parent of the BJP. Legal experts suggest that HAF’s activities may warrant scrutiny under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act. India’s compliance with US instructions in the assassination plot is in direct contrast to its response to Canada over accusations of its diplomats involved in Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s assassination.