The Canadian government on Monday declared jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s group a “terrorist entity”.

Bishnoi, a gangster from Punjab, is in Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Central Jail. He has been linked to several crimes, including the Canadian government’s allegations that agents of the Indian government were working with his gang to plan and execute violence in North America.

In a press release on Monday, Ottawa said that “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 “Bishnoi Gang” had met the definition of a “terrorist group” under Canada’s Criminal Code, it said.

A group being listed as a terror entity means that anything owned by it in Canada, including property, vehicles and money, can be frozen or seized. The listing also gives Canadian law enforcement agencies 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,” the release said. “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 decide on admissibility of persons to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, it added.

In its description of the “Bishnoi Gang” on the “terrorist entities” list, the Canadian government alleged that the group 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,” it said. “The Bishnoi Gang engages in murder, shootings and arson, and generates terror through extortion and intimidation.”

The group creates a “climate of insecurity” in the diaspora communities by targeting them, Ottawa alleged. It added: “Listing the Bishnoi Gang will help Canadian security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies in combatting their crimes and making communities safer.”

The listing came three months after the premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia, David Eby, in June urged the federal government to designate Bishnoi’s group as a terrorist organisation. The request was aimed at tackling extortion cases linked to the group in several provinces.

The designation also came less than two weeks after National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met his Canadian counterpart Nathalie Drouin in Delhi.

India’s National Investigation Agency had earlier alleged that Bishnoi was running a “terror syndicate” from jails in the country, with operations extending to Canada through local associates.

The Mumbai Police suspect his involvement in the killing of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique in October 2024. Bishnoi has also been accused of masterminding the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala on May 29, 2022.

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