Who are the Indian criminals accused by Ottawa of acting on behalf of New Delhi?

Photo: Narinder Nanu Agence France-Presse Indian police officers stand guard outside a courthouse ahead of a arraignment of Lawrence Bishnoi in connection with a murder, in Amritsar, India, June 28, 2022.

Agence France-Presse in New Delhi

Published at 8:48 am

• Asia

Already known for carrying out assassinations and extortions in India, the Bishnoi crime group is now accused of being involved in the murder of a Sikh separatist in Canada on behalf of the Indian state.

The leader of this gang, Lawrence Bishnoi, is currently detained in the Indian state of Gujarat, where he is to stand trial for smuggling heroin from Pakistan.

His group’s alleged targets include the assassination of a famous Sikh rapper in 2022 and the execution of a prominent politician in Mumbai in early October.

But the gang's influence extends much further. Canadian police have charged him with the murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot dead in a parking lot near his home in Vancouver, Canada, in June 2023.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, campaigned for an independent Sikh state in northern India called Khalistan.

His death soured relations between India and Canada when Ottawa said there was “credible” evidence linking New Delhi to the killing.

India called the accusation “grotesque” and accused Canada of using “a strategy of smearing India for political gain.”

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Diplomatic Escalation

These tensions reached a major diplomatic escalation on Monday, when Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including the ambassador, suspected of involvement in the Nijjar affair.

In response, India also expelled six Canadian diplomats.

Canadian police have announced that they have “evidence” of “the involvement of agents of the Government of India in serious criminal activity in Canada.”

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) told reporters that India was using “organized crime elements” to target members of the South Asian diaspora and Sikh separatists, naming them the “Bishnoi group.”

“We believe this group is linked to Indian government agents,” RCMP Assistant Commissioner Brigitte Gauvin said Monday.

Four Indian nationals have been arrested in connection with Nijjar’s murder.

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Executions and extortion

Lawrence Bishnoi himself was sentenced in 2019 to five years in prison on six charges, including attempted murder of police officers, drug smuggling and carrying firearms.

In Ahmedabad prison, the main city in the state of Gujarat, he reportedly continues to lead the gang from his cell.

The 31-year-old law graduate, a farmer’s son, was still a teenager when he turned to organized crime in 2010, including intimidating rivals in student politics, according to Indian police.

The gang made headlines in 2022 when rapper Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, known as Sidhu Moose Wala, was shot dead in Punjab state.

The killing was claimed “on behalf of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang” by a gangster.

The group claims to be part of the Hindu Bishnoi sect, which originated in the deserts of Rajasthan and dates back to the 15th century. Its members are committed to defending nature and animals at all costs, and have 1.5 million followers.

The gang issued death threats against Bollywood star Salman Khan for hunting two antelopes, which the Bishnoi community regards as the reincarnation of their guru.

Two members of the gang were arrested by Indian police in April for shooting at Mr Khan’s home in Mumbai. The actor was not injured.

Police also implicated the gang after the assassination of Baba Siddique, a Mumbai politician with close ties to Bollywood and Salman Khan.