Canada Declares Bishnoi Gang Terror Group
Canada Links Bishnoi Gang to Nijjar Murder, Declares It a Terror Group
Ottawa — Canada has accused the Bishnoi gang, a crime syndicate notorious in India for assassinations and extortion, of possible involvement in the 2023 killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver.
Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and vocal supporter of an independent Sikh state, was shot dead in a parking lot last year. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police later alleged that members of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had worked with the Bishnoi group to target Sikh activists in Canada — a charge New Delhi strongly denied, triggering a diplomatic row that saw both countries expel senior diplomats.
On Monday, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree announced Ottawa’s decision to list the Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity, saying the move would give Canada “more powerful and effective tools” to confront its activities. His office described the gang as “a transnational criminal organization operating primarily out of India, with a presence in Canada, that generates terror through extortion and intimidation.”
The decision comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney, who took office in March, seeks to mend strained ties with India. Carney has pushed to strengthen Canada’s economic engagement in Asia to offset the impact of U.S. trade tensions. At the Canada-hosted G7 summit in June, he met privately with Modi, underscoring “the significant commercial links between Canada and India.”
Relations between Ottawa and New Delhi soured sharply last October when both sides expelled six diplomats each after Canada accused Indian agents of involvement in Nijjar’s murder.
Who is Lawrence Bishnoi?
At the center of the controversy is Lawrence Bishnoi, a 31-year-old law graduate from Punjab, who has been jailed since 2015. India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) accuses him of running a transnational crime syndicate from behind bars, using associates in India, Canada, Nepal, and beyond — some with alleged links to pro-Khalistan elements.
Bishnoi, short and lean with a trademark beard and moustache, has denied supporting Khalistan. In a 2023 television interview, he insisted he was not “anti-national.” The video was later removed, and police are investigating how it was recorded inside the prison.
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