Canada on Monday designated the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a “terrorist entity". In a statement, Ottawa highlighted that the gang operates primarily out of India.
Gary Anandasangaree, Canada's Minister of Public Safety, said that the gang had targeted “specific communities for terror, violence and intimidation.” “Listing this group of criminal terrorists gives us more powerful and effective tools to confront and put a stop to their crimes,” the minister added.
The listing comes amid reports over the past few months suggesting that the gang was targeting pro-Khalistan elements, including Sikh Canadian citizens, in Canada.
In a press release on the listing, the Canadian government said the gang is a “transnational criminal organization” operating primarily out of India. “They have a presence in Canada and are active in areas with significant diaspora communities,” it stated.
It further said that the gang indulges in “murder, shootings and arson”, thus creating "a climate of insecurity in [diaspora] communities by targeting them, their prominent community members, businesses, and cultural figures.”
Five facts on Lawrence Bishnoi and his gang
• The gang is operated by Lawrence Bishnoi, a former student leader from Chandigarhwho is currently lodged in the Sabarmati jail in Gujarat's Ahmedabad. He has been in Delhi's Tihar jail and prisons in Punjab, and has been convicted in four criminal cases on charges of extortion, murder, attempt to murder and offences under UAPA.
• Lawrence Bishnoi alias Balkaran Barar, who has been in prison for more than a decade, has been operating his terror-crime syndicate from jails that he has been lodged in. Bishnoi, 32, is the son of a farmer and hails from Punjab's Fazilka district, PTI reported. Records show that he allegedly owns around 100 acres of land in Punjab.
{{/usCountry}}• Lawrence Bishnoi alias Balkaran Barar, who has been in prison for more than a decade, has been operating his terror-crime syndicate from jails that he has been lodged in. Bishnoi, 32, is the son of a farmer and hails from Punjab's Fazilka district, PTI reported. Records show that he allegedly owns around 100 acres of land in Punjab.
{{/usCountry}}• The gang is infamous for its hostility towards actor Salman Khan, who has received multiple threats to his life. Although Bishnoi was just five years old when the blackbuck poaching case took place in 1998, the incident irked his community, PTI reported. Bishnoi's animosity towards Khan became public in 2018, when during a court appearance he said, “We will kill Salman Khan. Everyone will know once we take action.”
• The gang has been accused of, and has claimed responsibility for several high-profile murders, including NCP leader Baba Siddique, Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, and Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi. The Bishnoi gang has also carried out firing outside the residences of prominent personalities, including singers A P Dhillon and Gippy Grewal in Canada.
• Bishnoi's terror-crime-extortion network, including sharpshooters, was spread across India until a few months back, facilitated by gangsters such as Anmol Bishnoi (Lawrence Bishnoi's brother), Sachin Thapan, Vikramjit Singh and Kala Rana. The gang was responsible for the Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack on Punjab State Intelligence headquarters in Mohali in 2023, PTI reported.