- Canada accuses India of using organized crime for assassinations
- Allegations link Indian agents to Lawrence Bishnoi’s criminal network
- Diplomatic crisis deepens, involving targeted killings of pro-Khalistan activists
Canadian authorities have accused the Indian government of collaborating with a criminal network led by one of India’s most renowned gangsters, Lawrence Bishnoi, to conduct targeted killings of dissidents in Canada.
On Monday, a diplomatic row erupted between India and Canada when Canadian police accused Indian diplomats of “criminal” acts in the nation, such as extortion, intimidation, coercion, and harassment, as well as conspiracy in targeted killings of Canadian residents.
Canadian police said they had found evidence linking India’s senior diplomat, Sanjay Verma, to the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh activist who was shot outside a gurdwara in a Vancouver suburb in June last year.
India dismissed the claims as “ludicrous” and accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of using them to advance his political goals. As relations between the two countries reached new lows, they expelled their respective senior diplomats.
Canadian police allege that Indian government agents colluded with a criminal gang led by India’s powerful mob lord Bishnoi to carry out assassinations. They said that the Indian government is targeting the South Asian minority, particularly “pro-Khalistani elements.”
Bishnoi has been in prison since 2014, but he is suspected of running one of India’s largest criminal empires. He has been linked to several high-profile assassinations, including the shooting of a politician in Mumbai over the weekend.
“What we have seen is the use of organised crime elements,” said Brigitte Gauvin, a Canadian police assistant commissioner, at a press briefing on Monday. “It has been openly linked to one organized crime gang in particular. We suspect the Bishnoi group is related to Indian government agents.
Bishnoi’s gang is claimed to be gaining traction in Canada, where there is a sizable Indian Sikh community. In September 2023, Bishnoi’s gang claimed responsibility for the execution of Sukhdool Singh Gill, who allegedly had ties to Khalistani groups and was on the Indian government’s wanted list. Gill was killed down in Winnipeg, Canada, and Canadian authorities now suspect Indian agents ordered the killing.
Canada’s accusations have fueled rising allegations that the Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has orchestrated a global violence campaign against anyone it considers a dissident or a danger to the state.
Trudeau said in a statement on Monday that “India has made a monumental mistake in choosing to use their diplomats and organised crime to attack Canadians.”
According to a report in the Washington Post, Canadian officials claim to have evidence that the attacks and monitoring of Sikhs in Canada were directly authorized by Indian Home Minister Amit Shah, who is recognized as Modi’s right-hand man.
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The article also stated that evidence of high-level Indian involvement in criminal activity in Canada was delivered to India’s national security adviser, Ajit Doval, at a covert meeting over the weekend, during which Doval denied any involvement in violence.
Doval allegedly denied charges that India recruited the Bishnoi gang to carry out targeted killings but did admit that Bishnoi was “capable of orchestrating violence from wherever he is incarcerated.”
According to the Indian Express, the US government has recently engaged in conversations with India regarding allegations of the Indian government’s involvement in transnational assaults on Canadian and American soil.
Last year, US authorities claimed to have stopped the planned murder of Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun by an Indian government agent. India announced an investigation into the event, and the US State Department announced this week that Indian officials would visit Washington, DC, on Tuesday to examine the situation.
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