U.S. Charges Indian Gang Leader for Ordering Murder of Sikh Separatist in Canada
The United States has officially charged Lawrence Bishnoi, the leader of an Indian criminal gang currently in prison, and his North American associate with orchestrating the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. This incident has caused a significant strain in diplomatic relations between Canada and India.
According to a federal indictment revealed in Los Angeles, Bishnoi and his accomplice, known as “Goldy Brar,” are accused of directing the shooting of Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. The indictment alleges that Bishnoi managed the operation from behind bars, using smuggled phones to communicate. He is said to have sent a co-conspirator Nijjar’s photograph and various addresses to aid in the attack. Bishnoi’s associate, a childhood friend named Satinderjeet Singh, allegedly oversaw the gang’s activities in North America.
Nijjar’s murder ignited a diplomatic conflict when former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau later announced that authorities were investigating credible claims linking Indian government officials to the assassination. However, New Delhi has dismissed these allegations as baseless.
It’s important to note that the U.S. indictment does not implicate the Indian government in the matter. Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was a prominent advocate for the establishment of Khalistan, a proposed independent Sikh state carved out of India, and was labeled a terrorist by the Indian government.
At a press conference in Los Angeles, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli and other officials did not suggest any involvement of the Indian government in Nijjar’s murder.
These charges against Bishnoi and Singh are part of a larger investigation by U.S. and Canadian authorities that has implicated 37 individuals linked to three organized crime groups based in India. Among these, 24 have been arrested or are already in custody.
In May 2024, Canadian police charged four Indian nationals in connection with Nijjar’s murder, continuing to investigate potential ties to the Indian government. The U.S. indictment refers to the suspected shooters only as co-conspirators and does not name them as defendants.
Recently, relations between Canada and India have begun to improve under Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who visited India in February for his first official trip and initiated discussions on a pending trade agreement expected to be finalized by November. Despite this progress, some Sikh groups have criticized Carney’s approach, arguing that Ottawa has not sufficiently addressed concerns about safeguarding Sikh Canadians from external interference and repression.
— Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto; Additional reporting by Andrew Goudsward in Washington; Edited by Sanjeev Miglani
