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Canada ignored several warnings from India about Lawrence Bishnoi
Canada designated the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity, following India's warnings about their criminal activities linked to violence in Canada.
While Canada designated the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity on Monday, India had in the past warned Ottawa several times about its activities.
Those warnings were delivered in 2021 and in 2022 but were largely ignored by the government of then Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau before it accused India last year of using the gang members to target pro-Khalistan separatists based in Canada.
The matter was discussed by officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) when they visited Ottawa in 2021 for talks with their Canadian counterparts.
It was raised again in the summer of 2022 as Indian officials expressed their concern over “translocational criminal gangs” using Canada as a base to plan criminal acts in India.
That was spurred by the murder in May 2022 of entertainer-turned-politician Sidhu Moosewala for which Goldy Brar, a prominent Bishnoi lieutenant, then operating from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), had taken credit.
At the time, an official, requesting anonymity, said Canada-based radicals and gangsters were involved in acts of crime in India and that Ottawa has been asked to take cognizance and urgent pre-emptive action.
Their request came even as multiple Indian extradition requests were pending with the Canadian authorities. Officials did not specify the exact number or names but added that about 10 of them related to gangsters and three or four to terrorism. India also asked Ottawa to not issue visas to those with gang links in India.
They included other gangsters based in Canada including Lakhbir Singh Landa, who has around 20 cases pending against him in India, and Arshdeep Singh Gill or Arsh Dhalla, who is currently facing charges in Canada related to firearms and alleged domestic violence.
Another Bishnoi-linked gangster Zeeshan Akhtar, who was believed to have fled to Canada, was allegedly involved in the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique on October 12, 2024.
After Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Advisor Nathalie G Drouin met with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on September 18, the ministry of external affairs, in a statement, said they had “productive discussions on advancing the bilateral relationship including in areas such as counter terrorism, combating transnational organised crime and intelligence exchanges” and “agreed to strengthen security cooperation and further reinforce existing mechanisms of engagement.”
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Thursday, Drouin said, of the visit, “I think it is in their interest and also in our interest to see better safety in our streets. And that message was clearly passed to India.”
A rash of extortion-related violence including drive-by shootings at businesses and residences, arson and intimidation have been reported in the GTA, the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia and in Alberta over the last two years. Some were linked to the Bishnoi gang, leading to demands from the Premiers of Alberta and British Columbia, as well as the Federal Conservative Party, for the designation. Ottawa did so on Monday. The announcement of the listing was made by Canada’s minister of public safety Gary Anandasangaree on Monday morning.
“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,” he said, in a statement.
The decision was welcomed by law enforcement. In a statement, Peel Regional Police or PRP said, “Our Indian community represents one of the largest diasporas in Canada. This important measure will help Peel Regional Police, and other services nationally, provide support and relief to those in our community who may be targeted by this terrorist group.”
