US charges jailed Indian gang leader over 2023 killing of Sikh activist in Canada

LOS ANGELES: United States authorities have charged Lawrence Bishnoi, an imprisoned Indian gang leader, and his North American deputy in connection with the 2023 killing of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, according to a federal indictment unsealed in Los Angeles.

The indictment alleges that Bishnoi and Satinderjeet Singh, also known as Goldy Brar, directed the shooting of Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. Prosecutors said Bishnoi coordinated the operation from an Indian prison using smuggled mobile phones and supplied a co-conspirator with a photograph of Nijjar as well as several addresses linked to him to help carry out the killing.

US authorities said Singh, described in the indictment as a childhood friend of Bishnoi, oversaw the North American activities of the Lawrence Bishnoi Organised Crime Group. The indictment does not accuse the Indian government of involvement in Nijjar’s killing.

Diplomatic fallout and scope of the case

Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, had advocated for Khalistan, a proposed independent Sikh homeland carved out of India, and had been designated a terrorist by New Delhi. His killing set off a diplomatic dispute between Canada and India after former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said months later that Canadian authorities were "actively pursuing credible allegations" linking Indian government agents to the murder. India rejected that allegation as absurd.

Neither First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli nor any other official speaking at a Los Angeles press conference alleged that the Indian government had any role in the case or knew about the killing. Canadian police had earlier arrested and charged four Indian nationals in May 2024 over Nijjar’s death and said they were also examining whether the suspects had links to the Indian government. The US indictment, however, does not list the alleged shooters as defendants and refers to them only as co-conspirators.

Broader organised crime investigation

The charges against Bishnoi and Singh form part of a wider US-Canadian investigation targeting three India-based organised crime groups. Authorities said 37 defendants tied to the groups were charged with offences including racketeering, extortion and drug trafficking, and that 24 of them had been arrested or were already in custody.

The case comes as ties between Ottawa and New Delhi have improved under Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Carney visited India in February on his first official trip and launched talks on a trade agreement that is expected to be completed by November. His approach has drawn criticism from some Sikh groups, which say Ottawa has not done enough to hold India accountable or protect Sikh Canadians from foreign interference and transnational repression.