Canada has declared gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his gang a terrorist entity under its Criminal Code, Public Safety minister Gary Anandasangaree announced on Monday evening.
The listing on Sunday, September 29, comes after reports over several months that the Bishnoi gang targeted pro-Khalistan elements, including Sikh Canadian citizens, inside Canada over the past few years.
The designation comes in response to the gang's links to murder, extortion, and arms and drugs trafficking in India and abroad.
“The Bishnoi Gang 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 Canadian government's press release on the listing read.
The listing info added, “The Bishnoi Gang engages in murder, shootings and arson, and generates terror through extortion and intimidation. They create a climate of insecurity in [diaspora] communities by targeting them, their prominent community members, businesses, and cultural figures.”
The move allows Canadian authorities to freeze or seize any Bishnoi gang assets in the country, including cash, vehicles, and property.
It also strengthens the legal framework to prosecute gang members for offences, including those related to financing terrorist activities.
Immigration officials can now deny entry into Canada to suspected gang members.
"Acts of violence and terror have no place in Canada, especially those that target specific communities to create a climate of fear and intimidation," the government said in a statement.
Under Canadian law, it is a criminal offence for citizens, or anyone abroad, to knowingly deal with property owned or controlled by the Bishnoi gang, or to provide property knowing it will be used by or benefit the gang.
The announcement follows pressure from Canadian politicians. Shadow Public Safety minister Frank Caputo wrote to Anandasangaree urging the terrorist designation, highlighting the gang's criminal empire, assassinations, extortion of Canadian citizens, and activities motivated by political, religious, and ideological reasons.
Caputo said the Bishnoi gang has taken credit for widespread violence in Canada and abroad.
Other politicians supporting action against the gang include Patrick Brown, Mayor of Brampton, home to about 20 per cent of Canada’s Sikh population, as well as British Columbia Premier David Eby, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, and Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke.
Lawrence Bishnoi, who split from associate Goldy Brar in June, has been linked to a series of murders since the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala in May 2022.
Other killings include Rajput leader Sukhdev Gogamedi in December 2023, Maharashtra politician Baba Siddique in October 2024, and a shooting outside the home of Bollywood star Salman Khan in April 2025.
The murder of Hardeep Nijjar, a pro-Khalistani figure and Canadian citizen, in June 2023 cemented the gang’s international notoriety and sparked a diplomatic row.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had accused India of involvement, a claim India dismissed, accusing Trudeau of pandering to Khalistani vote banks.
The incident caused India-Canada relations to deteriorate sharply.
Since Trudeau’s removal and the appointment of Mark Carney as his successor, ties between the two countries have begun to recover.
On August 1, Ottawa made its first diplomatic posting to Delhi since the withdrawal of top officials following the row with Trudeau.
The Canadian government has consistently identified the Bishnoi gang as one of the country’s most dangerous criminal syndicates, linking it to arms and drug trafficking.