‘We don’t take this lightly’: Canada’s BC premier seeks terror tag for Lawrence Bishnoi gang; says it’s a serious step | India News

Canada’s British Columbia premier David Eby said that he will request Prime Minister Mark Carney to declare the Lawrence Bishnoi gang a “terrorist organisation” in the country, adding that it had been linked to many crimes. On Tuesday, the premier said he will write to Carney about it “to enable police to be able to use the necessary tools to investigate.”He alleged that the gang had been linked to extortion and other crimes against South Asian community members in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.Canada’s police had earlier reported that South Asian community members are being extorted under threat of violence or death. Adding that Lawrence Bishnoi gang has been linked to some of those threats. “This is a serious step,” Eby said. “We don’t make this recommendation lightly, but this activity strikes at public confidence in the justice system, in our democracy.”As Eby stressed his demand, Balpreet Singh from World Sikh Organisation said he supports his request. “Extortions are at an all-time high here in Canada. That members of the Sikh community and now others as well are being extorted for money, and their houses are being shot up, and there are threats against their lives,” said Singh.Meanwhile, Elenore Sturko, B C Opposition public safety critic, opposed Eby’s demand, saying that other issues need addressing. Sturko asserted that she is unaware that police “definitively” linked Bishnoi gang to extortion cases, further questioning the timing of Eby’s comment. “The police haven’t come out and told my community that this gang is responsible for these incidents,” she said. “This is a very dramatic and headline-grabbing thing that the premier’s done today, but I hope it doesn’t distract from the fact that there are other issues at play here that need addressing,” she added. PM Modi‘s visit to CanadaThis comes amid PM Modi’s visit to Canada after a period of friction between New Delhi and Ottawa. The tension between the two countries escalated after Canada alleged that Indian agents were involved in the killing of NIA-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a gurdwara in Canada in 2023.Earlier on Tuesday, PM Modi arrived at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Canada, where he received a warm welcome from Canadian PM Mark Carney. He later held a bilateral meeting with Carney on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada. “India and Canada relations are very important in many ways. Many Canadian companies have investments in India. The people of India also have a huge investment in Canadian soil. Dedicated to democratic values, Canada and India will have to strengthen democracy together, and will have to strengthen humanity,” Prime Minister Modi said.PM Modi also congratulated Carney on his recent election victory. “This is the first time I have had the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister after his election, so I congratulate him for his grand victory in this election and in the coming period, India and Canada will progress together in many areas with him,” he added.“It’s a great honour to host you at the G7. It’s a testament to the importance of your country, to your leadership and to the importance of the issues that we look to tackle together, from energy security, from the energy transition that you’re helping to lead, to the future of artificial intelligence, to the fight that we have against transnational repression, against terrorism, against other factors and the work that we can do together. It is my great honour to have you here,” Carney said.