Why B.C. wants a terror designation on gang with alleged Indian government ties
As B.C.'s Sikh community marks the two-year anniversary of gurdwara president Hardeep Singh Nijjar's murder, the alleged role of a high-profile Indian gang is being thrust into the spotlight.
Four Indian nationals have been charged and are awaiting trial, but the masterminds behind the killing remain free — a fact that drew fury at a protest in Vancouver on Wednesday.
'India should not be able to operate with impunity by killing Canadians on Canadian soil,' Moninder Singh with the Sikh Federation Canada told Global News.
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B.C. premier wants to see Indian gang operating in Canada listed as terrorist organization
Just a day after Canada and India agreed to reestablish diplomatic ties as Prime Minister Mark Carney hosted his Indian counterpart Narenda Modi for the G7, Canada's spy agency released a report directly tying the Indian state to organized crime syndicates in Canada.
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The Canadian Security Intelligence Service's annual report cites RCMP evidence linking Indian government agents to 'criminal networks to sow violent activity in South Asian communities in Canada.'
It adds that India's alleged role in Nijjar's killing 'signals a significant escalation in India's repression efforts.'
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National security experts point to the involvement of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
'They have to find people to carry out these dirty deeds,' said Daniel Stanton, director of the National Security Program at the University of Ottawa's Professional Development Institute.
Using gangsters, he added, allows the government 'a bit of deniability.'
'Through proxies, in this case the Bishnoy Gang, they created basically a crime wave across Canada, attributing it to a particular community,' he said.
India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) describes the group as a criminal gang headed by Lawrence Bishnoi, whose lawyer says he contests more than 40 cases accusing him of crimes such as murder and extortion.
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Canada's relationship with India under scrutiny
Bishnoi himself, a law graduate from the Punjab, has been in prison for over a decade. The NIA alleges he runs his syndicate from jails in different states and internationally through a network of associates.
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The World Sikh Organization says Bishnoi recently appeared in the Indian press 'declaring himself an Indian nationalist,' and that he also vowed to oppose Khalistan, the independent homeland in India's Punjab state sought by some Sikh activists, including Nijjar.
Sources have told Global News the Bisnoi gang is believed to be linked to Nijjar's killing.
The World Sikh Organization says the gang also took credit for the recent killing of a Mississauga, Ont., businessman who was resisting extortion attempts.
'We're looking at a real crisis here in Canada with businessmen across Canada being extorted by Indian gangs, and the issue really here is that these aren't just Indian gangs in isolation,' said Balpreet Singh with the World Sikh Organization.
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Surrey business owner holds public safety forum amid extortion threats
'The problem here is that the head of this gang is in prison for the past 10 years. So it seems that this gang is being used by the government of India to once again orchestrate violence and terror here in Canada.'
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On Tuesday, B.C. Premier David Eby called on the federal government to designate the Bishnoi gang as a terrorist organization.
Sikh groups say that's a good start, but not enough.
They want a public inquiry on India's transnational repression, for Canada to end any intelligence sharing with India, and consequences for anyone involved in international crime — no matter their position in government.
'The tentacles go all the way to the top,' said Balpreet Singh.
'So targeted sanctions against members of the government of India, who are known to be tied up with this gang.'
— with files from Aaron McArthur, Global's Stewart Bell, Jeff Semple and Andrew Russel and Reuters
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