Canada labels India’s Bishnoi gang as ‘terrorist’ organisation

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. It also means immigration officials can deny suspected gang members entry into Canada.The notification - another step forward in repairing India-Canada ties after an all-out diplomatic war in the final months of Justin Trudeau's prime ministership - comes a month after a Canadian MP, Frank Caputo, urged Anandasangaree to slap the 'terrorist' tag on Bishnoi.British Columbia Premier David Eby and his Alberta counterpart, Danielle Smith, as well as Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, have also called for the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to be taken down.

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.

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. 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.