On Wednesday, July 8, Canadian authorities announced that they found no evidence implicating the Indian government in the 2023 murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and Sikh separatist, an incident that has significantly impacted diplomatic relations between Canada and India.
This announcement follows nearly three years after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau indicated that security agencies were investigating credible claims of a potential connection between Indian operatives and Nijjar’s assassination.
In a separate development, the United States has charged Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar with being responsible for orchestrating Nijjar’s killing. The FBI has also offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to Brar’s capture.
Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar?
Nijjar was the leader of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), a separatist organization, and served as the head of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib in Surrey, Canada. He had been a resident of Canada since 1997 and was married with two children.
The Indian government has accused Nijjar of playing a role in the recruitment, financing, and coordination of KTF activities, which was designated as a terrorist organization under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in 2023. He was also wanted for his involvement in a 2021 assault on a Hindu priest in Jalandhar and for participating in the December 2020 protests against agricultural laws.
In September 2023, Trudeau alleged that the Indian government had a hand in Nijjar’s murder, a claim that Indian officials dismissed as unfounded. These allegations led to a significant deterioration in India-Canada relations, prompting both nations to expel diplomats and halt various bilateral activities. However, relations began to improve in June 2025, when both countries agreed to restore diplomatic ties.
What has Canada stated recently?
On Wednesday, Canadian police declared that there is no evidence linking Indian officials to Nijjar’s murder. Lisa Moreland, Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), stated to CBC News, “There is no evidence to suggest that through this organized crime syndicate investigation and the charges laid forward that Indian government officials would be charged or involved in this….nothing has come out to link the Indian government.” She emphasized that investigations are still ongoing.
Lawrence Bishnoi, a gangster from Punjab, has been involved in criminal activities since the early 2010s. He has been incarcerated in the Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad since 2015, where he is believed to run his operations from behind bars. In connection with a cross-border drug smuggling case, he was transferred to Gujarat by the state’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
Bishnoi has been implicated in numerous serious crimes, including murder, attempted murder, extortion, and others, notably the 2022 killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and ongoing threats against actor Salman Khan. Brar has claimed responsibility for Moosewala’s assassination.
According to prior reports from The Indian Express, the Bishnoi gang is seeking to capitalize on the power vacuum left by the dismantling of crime syndicates in Mumbai, previously led by figures like Dawood Ibrahim, Chhota Rajan, and Ravi Pujari.
What are the charges brought by the US?
A federal indictment unsealed in Los Angeles alleges that Bishnoi and Brar, whose real name is Satinderjeet Singh, conspired to execute Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia in June 2023.
The indictment claims that Bishnoi, who has been in prison since 2015, directed the operation from his jail cell using contraband mobile devices. He purportedly provided a co-conspirator with photographs and multiple addresses of Nijjar to facilitate the assassination.
Brar, currently at large and believed to be in the United States, has been identified as the North American leader of the “Lawrence Bishnoi Crime Group.” A federal arrest warrant for Brar was issued this month in a California district court on charges related to racketeering, organized crime, extortion, and drug possession. Following this, the FBI also issued a federal warrant and announced a reward for his capture.
The charges against Bishnoi and Brar are part of Operation Hard Ball, a comprehensive US federal investigation targeting international crime syndicates linked to India involved in racketeering, extortion, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and murder, among other offenses. A total of 37 defendants have been named in the operation, with 13 already arrested and scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
