US charges jailed Indian gang leader over killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh

WASHINGTON: The United States has charged jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his alleged North America-based associate Satinderjeet Singh, also known as Goldy Brar, over the 2023 killing of Canadian Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.

According to a federal indictment unsealed in Los Angeles, Bishnoi and Brar allegedly orchestrated the June 18, 2023 shooting of Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia.

US prosecutors alleged that Bishnoi coordinated the operation from an Indian prison using smuggled mobile phones and supplied a co-conspirator with Nijjar’s photograph and multiple addresses to facilitate the assassination.

The indictment further alleged that Brar, described as Bishnoi’s childhood friend and the North American leader of the Lawrence Bishnoi organised crime group, directed the criminal network’s operations in the region.

However, the indictment does not allege any involvement by the Indian government in Nijjar’s killing.

The murder triggered a major diplomatic dispute between Canada and India after then Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said in September 2023 that Canadian authorities were pursuing “credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the killing. New Delhi dismissed the allegations as “absurd”.

Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and prominent advocate of an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, had been designated a terrorist by India.

Speaking at a press conference in Los Angeles, First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli and other officials did not suggest that the Indian government had any role in or prior knowledge of the killing.

The charges form part of a broader joint US-Canada investigation into transnational organised crime. Authorities announced charges against 37 defendants allegedly linked to three India-based criminal organisations for offences including racketeering, extortion and drug trafficking. Of those, 24 have either been arrested or were already in custody.

Canadian police had previously arrested and charged four Indian nationals in May 2024 over Nijjar’s murder and said they were also investigating whether the suspects had links to the Indian government. The US indictment does not identify the alleged shooters by name, referring to them only as co-conspirators.

Relations between Canada and India have improved since Prime Minister Mark Carney took office. Carney visited India in February on his first official trip and launched negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement expected to be concluded by November.

His approach has faced criticism from some Sikh organisations, which accuse Ottawa of failing to hold India accountable for Nijjar’s killing and of not doing enough to protect Sikh Canadians from alleged foreign interference.