Canada has formally declared India’s Bishnoi gang a “terrorist” organisation, giving authorities the power to freeze assets, block funding, and prosecute members under “anti-terrorism” laws.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree announced the designation on Monday, saying the gang had instilled fear within Indian diaspora communities across the country.
“Specific communities have been targeted for terror, violence and intimidation by the Bishnoi Gang. Listing this group of criminal terrorists gives us more powerful and effective tools to confront and put a stop to their crimes,” said Anandasangaree.
Ottawa stressed that “acts of violence and terror have no place in Canada, especially those that target specific communities to create a climate of fear and intimidation.”
The gang, run by jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, is described by Canadian officials as a transnational criminal syndicate operating largely from India but with a presence in Canada.
Bishnoi, 32, has been imprisoned for a decade in India but is accused of directing a network of hundreds of members engaged in drug trafficking, arms smuggling, extortion, and targeted killings.
Canadian police have previously alleged that Indian intelligence services used Bishnoi associates to carry out killings and violent intimidation of supporters of the Khalistan movement, which seeks an independent state for the Sikh minority in the Indian state of Punjab, abroad.
India dismissed the claims, accusing Ottawa of failing to provide evidence and of ignoring repeated extradition requests for Bishnoi-linked suspects.
The Canadian government says the “terrorist” listing not only allows property and funds tied to the gang to be seized but also strengthens law enforcement’s ability to disrupt recruitment, financing, and international travel linked to the gang’s operations.
Political pressure has been mounting on Ottawa, with opposition leaders and provincial premiers in Alberta and British Columbia demanding tougher measures against the gang. Canada is home to more than 770,000 Sikhs, accounting for about 2 percent of Canada’s population.
‘A strong signal to India’
The Bishnoi gang’s notoriety has grown amid wider diplomatic tensions between Ottawa and New Delhi. The assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Vancouver-area gurdwara in June 2023 threw the issue into sharp relief.
Canada accused Indian officials of directing intelligence to “criminal organisations like the Lawrence Bishnoi gang” to silence critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government abroad – an allegation India rejected.
New Delhi insists Ottawa has ignored more than two dozen extradition requests for Bishnoi members and continues to shield individuals wanted for crimes in India.
Despite the deep rift, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s national security adviser, Nathalie Drouin, said last week that Indian officials had pledged to cooperate in ongoing investigations and agreed to refrain from cross-border repression.
