On Monday, Canadian police made a sensational claim.<\/p>\n They alleged at a press conference that agents of the Indian government were using \u201corganised crime groups like the Bishnoi group\u201d to target leaders of the pro-Khalistan movement, which calls for a separate Sikh homeland in India.<\/p>\n This was hours after both countries expelled top diplomats as tensions escalated<\/a> over last year\u2019s assassination of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil. Delhi dismissed the allegations as “preposterous”, accusing PM Justin Trudeau of catering to Canada\u2019s sizeable Sikh community for political gain.<\/p>\n The Canadian police were referring to Lawrence Bishnoi, a 31-year-old gangster from India, now back in the spotlight domestically and internationally.<\/p>\n Indian police say his gang is allegedly linked to the killing of a prominent politician in Mumbai at the weekend – gunmen shot dead 66-year-old Baba Siddique<\/a> near his son\u2019s office. Three suspects are in custody. An alleged aide of Bishnoi has posted on social media that the gang is behind the murder.<\/p>\n Once among India\u2019s most wanted, Bishnoi has been in prison since 2015, now held far from his native Punjab state in Gujarat.<\/p>\n Yet, the police believe his audacious influence endures. Bishnoi is the prime accused in the sensational murder of Sidhu Moose Wala,<\/a> the popular Punjabi singer gunned down near his village in October 2022.<\/p>\n In 2018, Bishnoi gained notoriety for threatening Bollywood star Salman Khan, accusing him of allegedly poaching two blackbuck antelopes – a revered species for Rajasthan’s Bishnoi community to which Lawrence belongs.<\/p>\n When he was produced in a court in Jodhpur city, he openly told the waiting media: \u201cSalman Khan will be killed here, in Jodhpur\u2026 Then he will come to know about our real identity.\u201d Incidentally, Siddique, the murdered politician, was a close friend of the Bollywood star.<\/p>\n