Canada lists Bishnoi Gang as terrorist entity

Canada on Monday said it has listed the Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity for creating a ''climate of fear and intimidation''. ''Acts of violence and terror have no place in Canada, especially those that target specific communities to create a climate of fear and intimidation,'' an official statement said. The development comes more than a week after National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his Canadian counterpart Nathalie Drouin held wide-ranging talks in New Delhi.

During their talks, the two sides had agreed to adopt a collaborative approach towards a new chapter in bilateral ties, including working closely to combat terrorism and transnational crimes.

''Specific communities have been targeted for terror, violence and intimidation by the Bishnoi Gang. Listing this group of criminal terrorists gives us more powerful and effective tools to confront and put a stop to their crimes,'' Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said on Monday. With the addition of the Bishnoi Gang, there are now 88 terrorist entities listed under the Criminal Code in Canada.

A terrorist listing gives the federal government the power to freeze or seize property, vehicles and money, along with giving Canadian law enforcement additional tools to prosecute terrorist offences, including those related to financing, travel and recruitment, according to an official statement.

It is a criminal offence for anyone in Canada and Canadians abroad to knowingly deal with property owned or controlled by a terrorist group. It is also an offence to directly or indirectly provide property knowing that it will be used by or benefit a terrorist group. The Criminal Code listing can also be used by immigration and border officials to inform decisions on admissibility to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

The Bishnoi Gang, led by Lawrence Bishnoi, is a transnational criminal organisation operating primarily out of India. They have a presence in Canada and are active in areas with significant diaspora communities, the statement said. Canadian Police have linked some extortion cases back to the gang, whose leader is in prison in India.

''The Bishnoi Gang engages in murder, shootings and arson, and generates terror through extortion and intimidation. They create a climate of insecurity in these communities by targeting them, their prominent community members, businesses, and cultural figures,'' the statement said. ''Listing the Bishnoi Gang will help Canadian security, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies in combating their crimes and making communities safer,'' it added.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre last month asked the federal government to designate the Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity.

In June, British Columbia Premier David Eby asked the federal government to declare the gang a terrorist organisation, a call repeated by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith earlier. The gang leader, Lawrence Bishnoi alias Balkaran Barar, is a product of a gangster-terror network nexus and has been named by India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) in several high-profile cases.

Bishnoi, now aged 32, forayed into the world of crime when he was a student at Panjab University in 2010.

According to police records in India, Bishnoi is a native of Punjab's Fazilka district and graduated in law from Chandigarh. He allegedly owns around 100 acres of land in Punjab, the records show.

In a bid to dismantle the gangster-terror network associated with the Babbar Khalsa International, the NIA named Bishnoi in a chargesheet more than two years ago in a terror case, detailing his criminal activities, and smuggling of weapons, explosives and drugs from Pakistan.

The anti-terror agency said Bishnoi was instrumental in coordinating communication channels, enabling seamless interactions among gang members, even those incarcerated in jails. It further added that he was running an extortion syndicate with Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar, who has close links with pro-Khalistan terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI).

Bishnoi, who has been in custody for more than a decade, has been operating his terror-crime Syndicate from jails wherever he has been lodged over the years.

Convicted in four criminal cases in Punjab, including on charges of extortion, murder, attempt to murder, and offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Bishnoi mostly operated in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi before setting his sights on Maharashtra.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)