Photo credit: AM 1050
Canada has designated India’s notorious gang Bishnoi gang, a terrorist entity, in a decision that would give enforcement agencies greater powers to stop its crimes.
The Independent reports that Public Safety Canada described the gang as a transnational criminal organisation that was active in parts of the country with significant diaspora populations.
It was engaged in “murder, shootings, and arson”, the department said, 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.”
It bars Canadians from giving it financial and material support and allows for freezing of assets, property seizures, and criminal charges against affiliates under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
The gang allegedly run by Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar spread into North America from the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana. Bishnoi has been imprisoned in India since 2019. He is described by the police as the founder. Brar fled India on a study permit in 2017.
The World Sikh Organization of Canada welcomed the decision, saying it was “an important first step”.
