Close on the heels of the news of Canada's foreign minister Anita Anand's proposed visit to India in October, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang has been listed as a terror entity by Canada's federal government. The statement from the Ministry of Public Safety described the Bishnoi gang as “a transnational criminal organization operating primarily out of India”. The listing took place on the back of a buildup by some provincial governments that had written to Prime Minister Mark Carney to effectively address the issue because the gang was creating a sense of fear and intimidation in the South Asian community.
While the listing of the Bishnoi gang as a terror outfit caught attention in India primarily because of the high-profile case of the threat to actor Salman Khan, there is a significant diplomatic angle here.
India-Canada ties nosedived in 2023 when the then-Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, accused the “agents of the Indian government” of involvement in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey in British Columbia, Canada.
Even as the two countries engaged in a spate of statements and counterstatements, an even bigger diplomatic meltdown happened a year later when an investigation in Canada accused the then-Indian High Commissioner, Sanjay Verma, of involvement.
Canada's federal police - the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), organized a press conference to provide details of India's alleged link to organised crime in Canada. Here's where Assistant Commissioner Brigitte Gauvin mentioned one gang in particular: the Bishnoi gang. The RCMP alleged that Indian diplomats shared information about Khalistani separatists in Canada with officials in New Delhi, which was then passed along to the Bishnoi gang.
The allegation was fuelled further because even as Lawrence Bishnoi has been lodged in jail in India, he did a television interview in 2023, raising questions about the enforcement of his arrest and pointing to his clout despite being behind bars.
India denied these allegations and also said that it was Canada that had ignored their concerns with regard to criminal elements. The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, had pointed out last year that there were 26 pending Indian extradition requests with Canada, including individuals associated with the Bishnoi gang.
Despite India's denial, the Bishnoi gang remains at the centre of the contentious security issue related to the alleged transnational repression and political interference that Canada blamed on India.
Even as the two countries aim at a pragmatic reset in the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's punishing tariffs, addressing security concerns to generate trust remains a core issue. Hence, even before Anita Anand's visit to New Delhi, Canada's National Security and Intelligence Advisor, Natalie Drouin, met her Indian counterpart Ajit Doval, last month.
While the statement by India's Ministry of External Affairs on the meeting said the discussion covered “counter terrorism, combating transnational organised crime and intelligence exchanges”, the statement from Drouin's office also added “non-interference, including refraining from transnational repression”. Here's where both sides continue to view the problem through different lenses. While for India, the concern is about Khalistani separatists being allowed political space and funding ability in Canada, Ottawa draws a red line on any possible targeting of Canadian citizens for their political views.
The divergent priorities on security were exemplified by two immediate cases: first, the arrest and subsequent release on bail of Khalistani separatist Inderjeet Singh Gosal in Canada, which was presented in Indian media as an outcome of the NSAs meeting, and second, the listing of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terror entity.
Even though the Bishnoi gang may be most prominent, there are other gangs accused of extortion, intimidation, and violence in Canadian cities with a sizable Indian-origin community, such as Surrey, Abbotsford, Brampton, and Northeast Calgary. Hence, some have questioned the designation of one particular criminal group as a terror entity. Jessica Davis, who in the past worked on the listings process, said in a post on LinkedIn, “Should we be designating criminal groups this way?”
As these questions swirl, it appears that intimidation, extortion, arson, and violence were not the sole criteria through which this designation has come about. Canada continues to prioritise foreign interference and transnational repression as central to its national security agenda, even as it overlaps and at times undermines India's concern about Khalistani separatism.
Yet, hope hinges on the fact that both sides have affirmed their commitment to the reciprocal exchange of intelligence and mutual responsiveness. A cross-contextual engagement on threat perceptions - one that recognises and acknowledges the distinct domestic imperatives shaping each country's security - would serve both Ottawa and New Delhi well.
(Maha Siddiqui is a journalist who has extensively reported on public policy and global affairs.)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
