Authorities in India’s Bishnoi gang are able to freeze assets, block funding, and prosecute members under “anti-terrorism” laws after Canada officially declares the gang a “terrorist” organization.
On Monday, public safety minister Gary Anandasangaree announced the designation, claiming that the gang had spooked communities in the Indian diaspora.
The Bishnoi Gang has targeted specific communities with their intimidation, violence, and terror. Anandasangaree praised the list of criminal terrorists as giving us more powerful and effective tools to confront and stop their crimes.
Ottawa argued that “acts of violence and terrorism, especially those that target specific communities, create a climate of fear and intimidation,” were illegal in Canada.
According to Canadian officials, the gang, which is led by inmate Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, is a transnational criminal syndicate operating mostly from India but with presence in Canada.
Bishnoi, 32, is accused of leading a network of hundreds of members who are involved in drug trafficking, arms smuggling, extortion, and targeted killings in India despite having been imprisoned for ten years.
Prior to this, Canadian police claimed that Bishnoi associates had allegedly used Bishnoi supporters to murder and violently intimidate them in the Indian state of Punjab, where they are from.
India refuted the allegations, accusing Ottawa of providing no evidence and of ignoring repeated requests for suspects linked to Bishnoi to be extradited.
The “terrorist” listing, according to the Canadian government, increases law enforcement’s ability to obstruct recruitment, financing, and international travel related to the gang’s activities in addition to allowing property and funds to be seized.
Opposition leaders and provincial premiers in Alberta and British Columbia are demanding tougher sanctions against the gang, and Ottawa is under increasing pressure from the political establishment. More than 770, 000 Sikhs make up about 2% of the population in Canada.
“A strong message to India,” the statement read.
In response to greater diplomatic angst between Ottawa and New Delhi, the Bishnoi gang’s notoriety has grown. The issue was brought to light by Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s assassination in a Vancouver-area gurdwara in June 2023.
India refuted the claim that India had directed intelligence to “criminal organizations like the Lawrence Bishnoi gang” to silence opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration abroad.
New Delhi asserts that Ottawa continues to guard individuals wanted for crimes in India and has ignored more than two dozen requests for extradition for Bishnoi members.
Source: Aljazeera
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