Brampton Mayor calls for terror designation of India-based Bishnoi gang
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown is calling on Ottawa to label the Lawrence Bishnoi gang a terrorist organization, warning the India-based group has entrenched itself in Peel Region and is linked to a number of criminal activities.
Brown made the comment during an interview with CP24.com, calling the Bishnoi gang a 'horrible criminal organization.' His comments come just days after British Columbia Premier David Eby made a similar request of Ottawa and promised to formally write Prime Minister Mark Carney about the matter.
'We've had a number of Bishnoi-related criminal activities in Peel Region,' Brown told CTV News Toronto. 'We know they're happening across the country because we actually are in close contact with other law enforcement, particularly in B.C., where there's activity with the same criminal network.'
Bishnoi himself has been imprisoned in India since 2014 but the country's counterterrorism law enforcement agency, the National Investigation Agency, has previously said that he continued to operate his 'terror-syndicate' from behind bars and through an associate in Canada.
Brown said that the gang Bishnoi leads employs a global network of '700 shooters' and is actively recruiting vulnerable residents in Peel and beyond — a level of criminality he suggests is 'akin to a terrorist organization.'
Brown further alleges that he is directing criminal activity throughout Canada.
'This is not a Brampton issue, Mississauga issue, a Toronto issue… This is transnational crime,' he told CP24.com. 'Whether it is crime syndicates from Mexico or crime syndicates from India, we are dealing with transnational crime increases in recent years that is a new challenge to our ability to push out criminality.'
An opportunity for 'greater investigative tools'
Just this week, a new report from Canada's spy agency labelled India as one of the 'main perpetrators' of foreign interference and espionage. The report also pointed to a link between government agents and 'criminal networks to sow violent activity in South Asian communities in Canada.'
It's reality that Brown says the Ottawa should not turn a blind eye to.
'I think diplomacy is important, trade is important but if another country wanted us to turn a blind eye to transnational crime in order to achieve that, I think that would be something that's beyond what we should be comfortable with,' he said,
Brown says classifying the Bishnoi network as a terrorist entity under Canada's Criminal Code would empower police to act more decisively.
'The listing would mean greater investigative tools, resources, collaboration with multiple agencies, intelligence sharing,' he said. 'There's just a number of things that are triggered by that designation.'
He also says the threat has gripped his local community, particularly residents of South Asian descent who recognize the Bishnoi name from headlines in India.
'We have a lot of residents of South Asian background who are terrified by it,' Brown said. 'It's at the behest of PRP, who I've got great confidence in, but it's also at the behest of residents of mine that I know feel terrified by the brazen nature of their activity in Canada.'
Already, Brown's office has submitted several recommendations to Ottawa to bolster public safety, including Criminal Code amendments, bail reform, and stronger intelligence sharing between agencies. He says increased federal involvement is essential.
'You can't fix public safety unless you get all levels of government owning their part and doing their part,' he said. 'The Government of Canada, since they're in charge of Public Safety Canada, CBSA and RCMP, there's certainly a lot they can do to be part of the solution.'
With files from The Canadian Press.
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