US Indicts Indian Crime Boss in Nijjar Killing, Leaving State Role Unresolved

Lawrence Bishnoi, leader of an India-based crime network, has been indicted for the 2023 assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. The charges formally link his gang to the killing—which fractured Canada-India relations when Canada accused the Indian government of involvement. By prosecuting criminals rather than officials, the US identifies who ordered the murder without settling the core dispute: whether Indian state actors participated.