PoliticsThe federal government has listed the Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree announced on Monday.Gang from Punjab and Haryana in northern India has spread into North AmericaPeter Zimonjic · CBC News · Posted: Sep 29, 2025 9:18 AM EDT | Last Updated: September 29Police officers escort Lawrence Bishnoi, right, inside a courthouse in New Delhi, India, on April 18, 2023. (Rahul Singh/ANI/Reuters)The federal government has listed the Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree announced on Monday. “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,” the minister said in a statement.Listing a group as a terrorist entity in Canada 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.The Bishnoi Gang is one of a number of criminal enterprises from Punjab and Haryana in northern India that have spread into North America in recent years, even as its founder Lawrence Bishnoi has been imprisoned in India since 2014.Their violence is partly rooted in village codes of honour and vendetta, but it’s mainly driven by modern imperatives of business and politics. Indian media describe drug smuggling and extortion as the gangs’ biggest sources of income, both at home and abroad.In a statement, Public Safety Canada said the Bishnoi Gang is a transnational criminal organization that’s active in parts of Canada with significant diaspora communities. “The Bishnoi Gang engages in murder, shootings and arson, and generates terror through extortion and intimidation,” the statement said.”They create a climate of insecurity in these communities by targeting them, their prominent community members, businesses and cultural figures.”Listing the gang as a terrorist entity also gives federal immigration officials the right to deny people associated with the gang entry to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.Brampton-based Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moose Wala was shot and killed in Punjab, India, in May 2022. His death has been linked to the Bishnoi Gang. (Sidhu Moose Wala/Facebook)The 2022 high-profile murder of Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moose Wala, repeated death threats against Bollywood star Salman Khan over his alleged poaching of two blackbuck antelopes and the murder of Mumbai-based Baba Siddique, an influential 66-year old politician — all are alleged to be the work of the Bishnoi Gang. In October, the RCMP claimed the Bishnoi Gang was targeting members of the pro-Khalistan movement on Canadian soil, allegedly at the behest of the Indian government.RCMP Assistant Commissioner Brigitte Gauvin said investigators believe the gang is “connected to agents of the Government of India.”Then prime minister Justin Trudeau also made the explicit connection during his October testimony at foreign interference commission suggesting Indian diplomats collected information on Canadians who were “in disagreement” with the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Trudeau said that information was then passed on to “the highest levels” of the Indian government before it was directed to “criminal organizations like the Lawrence Bishnoi Gang,” ending in “violence against Canadians on the ground.”Indian officials have rejected the accusations as “preposterous,” accusing Canada of harbouring violent members of a group that calls for the creation of a separate Sikh homeland called Khalistan and claiming the governing Liberals are trying to win votes from the country’s large Sikh community.While in Surrey, B.C., last month, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre added his voice to the list of other politicians who were calling on the federal government to declare the gang a terrorist organization. On Monday he welcomed the news saying it is “a long overdue decision.””This gang has been responsible for much of the extortion that has terrorized Surrey, Brampton [and] northeast Calgary,” Poilievre said.WATCH | Bishnoi Gang decision ‘long overdue’: Poilievre: Listing India’s Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity ‘long overdue’: PoilievreConservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called on the federal government to expel foreign criminals living in Canada when asked about his reaction to the government listing the Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist group, something his party has been calling for.Other political leaders who have called for the gang to be listed include Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, B.C. Premier David Eby and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.Eby posted a message on social media supporting Prime Minister Mark Carney and Anandasangaree saying “this is the right move.””People have been living in fear of extortion. This is an important move that could make our streets safer,” Eby said. The Bishnoi gang has terrorized people in our communities, using violence and extortion. BC was the first to call on Ottawa to list them as a terrorist entity back in June. This move gives authorities powers to freeze and seize the gang’s assets and keep our streets safe. pic.twitter.com/DtLGyrPTma—@Dave_EbyThe World Sikh Organization (WSO) of Canada issued a statement welcoming the government’s decision. Calling the designation “an important first step,” WSO president Danish Singh called on the federal government to sanction, expose and punish “Indian officials” who he alleges have directed, financed or facilitated the gang’s operations.Canada’s Sikh Federation issued a similar statement saying the designation “is an insufficient step to curb India’s ongoing threats to the Sikh community.””The designation of the Bishnoi Gang will have little impact on its own and remain a meaningless gesture until the government officials responsible for orchestrating widespread violence in Canada are held to account,” the group’s spokesperson, Moninder Singh, said in a statement.ABOUT THE AUTHORPeter Zimonjic is a senior writer for CBC News who reports for digital, radio and television. He has worked as a reporter and columnist in London, England, for the Telegraph, Times and Daily Mail, and in Canada for the Ottawa Citizen, Torstar and Sun Media. He is the author of Into The Darkness: An Account of 7/7, published by Vintage.With files from Evan Dyer and Salimah Shivji
Federal government lists Bishnoi Gang as terrorist entity
