OTTAWA: Canada has formally declared the Bishnoi gang, run by jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, a “terrorist” organisation, empowering authorities to freeze its assets, prosecute its members, and disrupt its transnational operations.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree announced the listing, saying the gang had instilled fear within diaspora communities across Canada through violence, intimidation and targeted killings. “Listing this group of criminal terrorists gives us more powerful and effective tools to confront and put a stop to their crimes,” he said. Ottawa emphasised that acts of violence and terror targeting communities to create fear had no place in the country.
Canadian officials described the Bishnoi network as a transnational criminal syndicate headquartered in India but with operatives in Canada. Bishnoi, imprisoned for over a decade in India, is accused of running a network engaged in arms smuggling, drug trafficking, extortion and assassinations.
Canadian police have previously alleged that Indian intelligence services exploited Bishnoi-linked operatives to intimidate and attack Sikh activists supporting the Khalistan movement abroad.
India, however, has dismissed the claims. The designation comes amid mounting pressure on Ottawa to curb the gang’s activities, particularly after the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June 2023. Canada accused Indian officials of directing intelligence to “criminal organisations like the Lawrence Bishnoi gang” to silence critics of the Modi regime abroad—an allegation New Delhi rejected.
Officials said the terrorist designation not only allows seizure of funds and properties but also enhances Canada’s ability to disrupt financing, recruitment and international travel of Bishnoi members.
Observers note that the move sends a strong political signal to India at a time of heightened tensions over Ottawa’s accusations of Indian involvement in transnational repression.
