Two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first public remarks on an Indian national allegedly conspiring to murder Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a key United States diplomat has said that India and the US have dealt with the issue with maturity and tact, and that the relationship between the two countries has reached a new echelon.

Speaking exclusively to NDTV on Thursday, Atul Keshap, who is the President of the US-India Business Council, said 2023 has been an “amazing year” for ties between the two countries, and that issues come up with the United States’ closest allies around the world. Mr Keshap’s perspective carries even more weight because he has served in New Delhi in various capacities, including as US envoy to India, and has seen the relationship evolve over the years and get to where it is today.

In his remarks to the Financial Times on Tuesday, PM Modi had said that the allegations pertaining to Pannun will be examined, but emphasised that “a few incidents” cannot derail ties between India and the United States.

When Mr Keshap was asked about this, he said, “I saw the Prime Minister’s remarks and I think he has got it exactly right. If you think about it, we have actually had an amazing year in US-India relations. Probably the best year I have seen in my entire professional career. We had a visit, a state visit by the Prime Minister of India to the United States. We had a visit by the President of the United States to India.”

The diplomat asserted that issues come up in every relationship, especially one as “broad and diverse and powerful” as the one between the United States and India, and that this happens with the US’ closest allies around the world.

“It has happened with Japan, with France, with the UK, with others. And what I love about the way that our two governments have been handling whatever issues that come up is that they have done it with maturity and tact, fully mindful of the shared strategic collaboration, the strategic, economic and technological convergence between our two great democracies,” Mr Keshap said.

“And, so, I am fully confident that they will manage this in a very reasonable, mature, tactful way, because that is where our relationship has come to. It has reached a new echelon,” he added.

Extradition, Moving On?

An Indian, Nikhil Gupta, was detained at the Czech Republic’s Prague airport in June at the request of the US government. The US Department of Justice has charged Mr Gupta with conspiring with an Indian government official to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil, and sought his extradition. The Khalistani terrorist holds citizenship of both the United States and Canada.

Asked whether the episode was behind India and the US or whether the extradition and legal requirements would cause it to linger on, Mr Keshap said, “Well, look, I can’t prognosticate, but I have a very high degree of confidence that, in the corridors of power in Delhi and in Washington, both sides recognise the tremendous importance of our shared partnership across many different dimensions.”

“And whatever happens in this particular matter is going to be dealt with by both governments within the context of that very broad partnership. These are dangerous times. Geo-strategically, the world is shakier than it has been in a long time. I think the United States and India reach out to each other and embrace each other because we are the world’s largest, most stable, most dynamic, most robust democracies,” he explained, adding that both countries are working on a thousand matters together and the Pannun issue is just one of them.

Alluding to the Israel-Hamas war, the diplomat pointed out that India and the US are also focused on ensuring the stability of the Middle East.

Red Sea Patrols, Economic Corridor

On the attacks on cargo vessels in the Red Sea, allegedly by Houthi rebels in Yemen, in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, and whether India should play a bigger role in protecting international commerce in the area, Mr Keshap said India has done a “tremendous job” of patrolling the Indian Ocean and ensuring the safety of mariners.

“And so India is very, very capable. It is increasingly clear to me that Washington and New Delhi, Tel Aviv and Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are all seeing each other as joint partners in ensuring the stability of that entire region, including the very critical sea lanes at the Straits of Hormuz, at the Bab-el-Mandeb in the Red Sea, and in the Suez Canal. And, of course, so much commerce flows through those sea lanes. So I think India has a giant stake in it and would be a welcome partner,” the US-India Business Council President said.

Asked about the war’s possible impact on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, which was unveiled at the G20 summit in September, Mr Keshap said the project is likely to face a delay, but will continue.

“I think what we are seeing here is another one of these periodic disruptions to the overall trend lines in the Middle East,” he said.

‘Life Is Great’

Mr Keshap said US President Joe Biden not coming to India for the Republic Day next year could be a result of him being busy with the elections, as well as scheduling conflicts, and such things happen all the time.

“But when you look at the track record of accomplishment in 2023, we are riding high. Life is great. Our companies are happy. The US-India Business Council is booming. Our countries are booming. We are the envy of the world in terms of our strength and resilience,” the diplomat said

“We have our problems. But, because we are democracies, we can get through them and fix them in a forthright manner. So I am feeling very optimistic about 2024 and beyond,” he asserted.

Action star Vin Diesel has been accused of sexually assaulting his assistant in an Atlanta hotel room over a decade ago, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday.

The suit is the latest claim to be lodged with courts in California, which has extended the length of time in which legal action can be taken in cases of alleged sexual crimes.

Asta Jonasson said her first assignment after being hired by the “Fast and Furious” star’s company was to travel to Atlanta in September 2010 during the filming of “Fast Five.”

There, she was tasked with helping Diesel leave a hotel in the early morning hours after entertaining multiple women in a suite, before paparazzi were alerted to his whereabouts.

“Alone in the hotel suite with him, Vin Diesel sexually assaulted Ms Jonasson. Vin Diesel forcibly grabbed Ms Jonasson, groped her breasts, and kissed her. Ms Jonasson struggled continually to break free of his grasp, while repeatedly saying no.

“Vin Diesel then escalated his assault,” the suit said, with the actor trying to pull down his assistant’s underwear.

The suit stated that Jonasson fled to a bathroom, where Diesel pursued her, and forced her to touch him. He then pinned her against a wall and masturbated.

The following day, Samantha Vincent, the actor’s sister and president of One Race, the entertainment company that employed Jonasson, allegedly called and fired her.

“The message was clear. Ms Jonasson was fired for courageously resisting Vin Diesel’s sexual assault, Vin Diesel would be protected, and his sexual assault covered up,” the suit said.

The civil suit seeks unspecified damages against Diesel, Vincent and their companies.

Representatives for Diesel did not immediately respond to AFP requests for comment.

Jonasson has waived the right to anonymity customarily granted to victims of alleged sex abuse.

The global #MeToo movement has seen powerful men in the world of entertainment punished for their abusive and predatory behavior, starting with bombshell allegations against industry titan Harvey Weinstein in 2017 that led to his imprisonment on multiple sex assault convictions.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Vinesh Phogat, one of the ace wrestlers who led the protests against a former wrestling body chief over sexual harassment charges, broke down on camera after his aide succeeded him in the post.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who led the Wrestling Federation of India for 12 years, had to step aside earlier this year, paving the way for fresh polls. His close aide Sanjay Singh won the polls yesterday to succeed him in the top post.

#WATCH | Delhi: On former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s aide Sanjay Singh elected as the new president of the WFI, Wrestler Vinesh Phogat says, “There are minimal expectations but we hope that we get justice. It’s saddening that the future of wrestling is in the dark. To… pic.twitter.com/Sr8r2Nvuqg

— ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2023

The wrestlers at the forefront of the protests – Sakshee Malikkh, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat – addressed the media after the election results were declared.

“Now that Sanjay Singh has been elected chief of the federation, women wrestlers will continue to face harassment,” Ms Phogat said while Ms Malikkh declared she’s quitting the sport.

Ms Phogat, a Commonwealth and Asian Games Gold medallist, said she has “no clue how to find justice in the country.”

“There are minimal expectations but we hope that we get justice. It’s saddening that the future of wrestling is in the dark. To whom shall we convey our grief… We are still fighting,” she added while interacting with the media.

Ms Malikkh, an Olympic medallist, said they had wanted the wrestling body to get a woman chief. “But that did not happen,” she said. “We fought, but if the new president is Brij Bhushan’s aide, his business partner, then I quit wrestling,”

she added while putting her boots on the table.

Sanjay Singh won 40 out of 47 votes in a sweeping victory over Anita Sheoran, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist who was backed by top wrestlers who had protested over sexual harassment charges against Mr Singh, a six-time MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Kaiserganj.

Sanjay Singh has earlier served as vice-president of the Uttar Pradesh wrestling body and was also part of the WFI’s last executive council and its joint secretary since 2019.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who was in the race for the WFI vice-president post, lost the election.

Besides the president post, elections were also held to fill up posts for a senior vice-president, four vice-presidents, a secretary general, a treasurer, two joint secretaries and five executive members.