Tensions between India and Canada have escalated as both countries expelled top diplomats after the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada. The latest dispute began when India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it received diplomatic communication from Canada. This indicated that some Indian diplomats were considered “persons of interest” in an investigation in Canada.
Canadian police have accused the Indian government of using “organized crime groups, like the Bishnoi group,” to target leaders of the pro-Khalistan movement, which advocates for a separate Sikh homeland in India. This accusation brought Lawrence Bishnoi, a 31-year-old Indian gangster, into the international spotlight.
Who is Lawrence Bishnoi?
Bishnoi first gained national attention when he was linked to the murder of Punjabi singer and Congress politician Sidhu Moose Wala on May 29, 2022. His associates claimed responsibility for the killing, saying it was due to an inter-gang rivalry.
Recently, his gang was also linked to the murder of 66-year-old politician Baba Siddique in Mumbai’s Bandra area. Bishnoi became infamous in 2018 when he threatened Bollywood actor Salman Khan over the poaching of blackbuck antelopes, a revered species in his Bishnoi community.
Investigators say Bishnoi still runs a gang of about 700 members across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi, involved in extortion, drug and weapon smuggling, and contract killings.
Early Life
Born in 1993 in Punjab, Bishnoi came from a wealthy farming family in Duttaranwali village. After high school, he moved to Chandigarh to study law but got involved in student politics and gang activities. His early arrests included charges of arson and attempted murder, after which he connected with other criminals while in jail.
For more than a decade, Bishnoi has been in and out of prison, all while expanding his crime network across several states in India, including Delhi, Punjab, and Rajasthan. He is also believed to have connections in Canada and the U.S.
