Canada designates Lawrence Bishnoi gang a terrorist entity

Active in British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta, the gang has been linked to over 50 violent incidents since 2023, including firebombings at the homes of Punjabi musicians A P Dhillon and Gippy Grewal, a shooting at comedian Kapil Sharma’s Surrey café this August, and widespread extortion rackets targeting South Asian communities.

The move follows months of political and community pressure. British Columbia Premier David Eby urged Prime Minister Mark Carney in June to designate the gang, citing “state-sponsored terror on our soil.” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith made a similar demand in July, followed by Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown and Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre amplified the call in August, tying it to his crime platform, while NDP MPs echoed support. Shadow Public Safety Minister Frank Caputo formally requested the action on August 11.

In October 2024, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme linked it to state-sponsored operations, including the June 2023 murder of Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey. India has denied those claims, insisting it has instead warned Canada of the gang’s threats and cooperated to disrupt its financial flows.

While the designation equips police with new tools, experts caution its impact may be limited. “The main issue is Canada’s lack of capacity in gathering criminal intelligence,” Wesley Wark of the Centre for International Governance Innovation told the Toronto Sun.

The listing comes as Canada-India ties show signs of thawing, with high commissioners reinstated after the June G7 summit. Indian officials are yet to comment, but the move could strengthen Ottawa’s hand in extradition cases against Bishnoi associates, including Goldy Brar.

Last year, RCMP linked Karan Brar (no relation to Goldy) and Karanpreet Singh, arrested in May 2024 for the June 2023 murder of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, to the Bishnoi gang.

The Bishnoi gang’s Canadian operations are allegedly run through figures like Goldy Brar, a 29-year-old gangster based in Surrey, British Columbia. Brar, who fled India in 2017 on a study permit, has long been Bishnoi’s key lieutenant and public face. He publicly claimed responsibility for the 2022 murder of Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moose Wala and has since run extortion rackets and targeted hits from Canada, often using encrypted apps to coordinate with Bishnoi’s prison-based network.

Although reports in June 2025 suggested a rift between Bishnoi and Brar, the latter continues to be linked to Bishnoi’s wider extortion networks targeting diaspora businesses.

The gang has also forged links with smaller outfits such as the Brothers Keepers in Brampton, accused of carrying out arsons and shootings against Punjabi musicians and entrepreneurs.

Since 2023, the RCMP has documented numerous Bishnoi-linked incidents of violence in Canada. In an October 14, 2024, press conference in Ottawa, Assistant Commissioner Brigitte Gauvin and Commissioner Mike Duheme had detailed the gang’s role in “homicides and violent acts”.

These include the September 2023 killing of Sukhdool Singh Gill, a Khalistani-linked figure in Edmonton, for which the gang claimed responsibility online, and the July 2025 murder of Brampton businessman Harjit Singh, where suspects confessed ties to Bishnoi on Facebook.

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