LOS ANGELES, USA — U.S. federal prosecutors have announced sweeping charges against alleged members of India-based organized crime networks, including claims that jailed gang leader Lawrence Bishnoi and associate Satinderjeet Singh, also known as Goldy Brar, ordered the 2023 assassination of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia.
The charges were announced as part of Operation Hard Ball, an international crackdown that led to 24 arrests across the United States, Canada and Europe. Prosecutors say the wider investigation targeted alleged crimes including murder, extortion, kidnapping, drug trafficking, weapons offences and human smuggling.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh activist and president of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, was shot and killed on June 18, 2023, outside the gurdwara. His killing sparked international concern and severely strained relations between Canada and India after Canadian officials alleged possible Indian government involvement, which India denied.
The new U.S. indictment alleges Bishnoi directed criminal activity from prison in India and that the Bishnoi network was involved in Nijjar’s killing. However, reports note the U.S. indictment does not accuse the Indian government of involvement.
Canadian authorities had previously charged four Indian nationals in connection with Nijjar’s killing. The latest arrests and indictments suggest investigators are now focusing on a broader transnational network allegedly operating across North America and beyond.
Sikh community advocates welcomed the law-enforcement action but said the full truth behind Nijjar’s assassination must still be pursued. Sikh activist Moninder Singh called the crackdown positive for public safety, while warning that questions remain about the wider network behind the violence.
WSO Action Against Bishnoi Gang
The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) welcomed the coordinated law enforcement operation by authorities in the United States, Canada and Europe targeting the Lawrence Bishnoi terrorist network and other India-based transnational organized crime groups.
While welcoming today’s enforcement action, WSO stated that it was concerned that significant questions remain unanswered regarding the role of agents of the Government of India.
Canada’s National Security Adviser Nathalie Drouin testified before parliamentarians that India collected intelligence on Sikh Canadians through diplomatic channels and proxies, which was then provided to Indian authorities who passed the intelligence to the Bishnoi gang. Senior Canadian officials have also confirmed that India’s Home Minister Amit Shah directed campaigns of violence and intelligence gathering targeting Sikh activists in Canada.
WSO President Danish Singh said:
“We welcome today’s crackdown against the terrorist Bishnoi organization. The allegations contained in the U.S. indictment reinforce the serious threat posed by transnational organized crime to public safety and to members of the Sikh community.
Today’s arrests are an important step but they do not answer the questions that matter most to Sikh Canadians. The Government of Canada has already publicly identified links between agents of the Government of India and the Bishnoi gang. Sikhs expect full transparency regarding the role India played in these activities.
How was Lawrence Bishnoi able to operate an international criminal enterprise while in Indian custody? What role did Indian government officials play in enabling or facilitating these activities? What role did Home Minister Amit Shah play, as described by senior Canadian officials? Canadians deserve answers to these questions. Accountability cannot end with those who carried out these crimes. It must extend to anyone who enabled, directed or facilitated them.”
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