FEDERAL Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree announced on Monday that the Government of Canada has listed the Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code.
As a now-listed entity, the Bishnoi Gang has met the definition of a “terrorist group” under Canada’s Criminal Code. A terrorist listing means anything owned by that group in Canada, property, vehicles, money can be frozen or seized and gives Canadian law enforcement more tools to prosecute terrorist offences, including those related to financing, travel and recruitment.
For example, it is a criminal offence for anyone in Canada and Canadians abroad to knowingly deal with property owned or controlled by a terrorist group. It is also an offence to directly or indirectly provide property knowing that it will be used by or benefit a terrorist group. The Criminal Code listing can also be used by immigration and border officials to inform decisions on admissibility to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
The federal government said on Monday that the Bishnoi Gang is a transnational criminal organization operating primarily out of India. They have a presence in Canada and are active in areas with significant diaspora communities. The Bishnoi Gang engages in murder, shootings and arson, and generates terror through extortion and intimidation. They create a climate of insecurity in these communities by targeting them, their prominent community members, businesses, and cultural figures. Listing the Bishnoi Gang will help Canadian security, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies in combatting their crimes and making communities safer.
Gary Anandasangaree said: “Every person in Canada has the right to feel safe in their home and community and as a government it is our fundamental responsibility to protect them. 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.”
B.C. Premier David Eby had written to Prime Minister Mark Carney last June to designate groups such as India’s Lawrence Bishnoi gang that were engaged in extortion and related crime as terrorist entities. That was followed by Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke’s plea the same month to the federal government to declare these groups as terrorist organizations and give police the tools they needed to act decisively.
Eby said in a post on X on Monday: “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.”
Ontario’s Peel Regional Police said in a statement that they are strongly supportive of the federal government designating the Lawrence Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code “as it will provide more levers in our efforts to battle extortions, homicides, and intimidation that target members of Peel Region’s South Asian communities.”
It added: “This designation will help provide police services with enhanced abilities to seize property, freeze assets and prevent ongoing or future funding of criminal activities associated to the Bishnoi gang. Our Indian community represents one of the largest diasporas in Canada. This important measure will help Peel Regional Police and other services nationally, provide sport and relief to those in our community who may be targeted by this terrorist group.”
THE World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) welcomed the listing of the Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity and called on the federal government “to expose and sanction those Indian officials who have directed, financed, or facilitated this gang.”
The WSO said: “Canadian law enforcement and intelligence agencies have linked the Bishnoi gang to assassinations, extortions, and intimidation carried out at the direction of agents of the Government of India including the 2023 murder of Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar and other violent crimes.
“According to Global News, an agent of the Government of India with ties to the Bishnoi gang was found to be surveilling former federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh. The threat posed by this operation was deemed a credible risk to Jagmeet Singh’s life and prompted a duty to warn and police protection.
“Canada’s National Security Adviser Nathalie Drouin has testified before parliamentarians that India collected intelligence on Sikhs in Canada through diplomatic channels and proxies, then passed it to Indian authorities who worked with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
“The Bishnoi Gang has engaged in a spree of crime across Canada including murders, extortions and shootings, including the May 14, 2025 murder of a Sikh businessman in Mississauga and the shooting of the Kap’s Café in Surrey.”
Quick Facts
- With the addition of this organization, there are now 88 terrorist entities listed under the Criminal Code.
- There are several offences in the Criminal Code that address conduct in connection with terrorist groups. For example, the Criminal Code prohibits dealing in any property (including money) owned or controlled by terrorist groups or to provide property or any financial services (such as services offered by banks and money services business) that will benefit or be used by a terrorist group.
- As Canada’s national police service, the RCMP is responsible for preventing, detecting and investigating terrorism-related criminal activities in Canada while respecting personal rights and freedoms. Listing is an important tool that supports criminal investigations and strengthens the RCMP’s ability to prevent and disrupt terrorist activity in Canada.
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