The United States has accused Delhi of plotting to assassinate an American citizen who advocates for Khalistan - an independent Sikh state carved out of India.

Washington said an Indian national, working with an Indian government official, had attempted to hire a hitman for $100,000 (£79,000) to carry out the murder on American soil - but the plot unravelled as the hitman was actually an undercover federal agent.

The target was identified as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen. The New York-based lawyer, believed to be in his early 50s, is the legal counsel and spokesman for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a US-based Sikh separatist group that's banned in India since 2019.

In the days following the sensational allegation, Delhi said Pannun "is wanted for violation of the law" but denied that they had anything to do with the murder plot. "A high-level inquiry committee has been formed to investigate the allegation and address the US government's security concerns," external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

So who is Pannun and why is he so controversial in India?

Delhi has made no bones about its dislike for the Sikh separatist - a man they designated a terrorist in 2020. He is wanted in nearly two dozen cases, including some of terrorism and sedition, and in September, his properties in Amritsar and Chandigarh cities were seized. Pannun denies all the charges and says the cases are false.

A Sikh - a religious minority which makes up about 2% of India's population - he says he is an activist who just believes in Khalistan. India crushed a violent armed Sikh insurgency in the 1980s and 1990s and the movement has little support in the country now although some in the Sikh diaspora continue to advocate for Khalistan. Pannun and his SFJ are among its most vocal supporters.

Born in the Nathu Chak village in the north-western state of Punjab, a young Pannun moved with........

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