&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "India acknowledges US indictment of Lawrence Bishnoi, avoids extradition comment")
India's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Tuesday acknowledged the US indictment of the jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and several other associates over the 2023 killing of the Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. Nijjar had been designated as a terrorist by New Delhi. The high-profile killing in 2023 had severely strained the diplomatic relationship between Canada and India at the time.
Responding to the US DOJ indictment, Randhir Jaiswal said that it aligns with New Delhi's long-standing security concerns from the international criminal networks. However, he didn't comment on the potential extradition of Lawrence Bishnoi.
“We have seen the announcements made by the US Department of Justice regarding the indictments and enforcement action against transnational organised criminal networks operating across several countries," said Jaiswal. Jaiswal said that India remains committed to combating transnational criminal networks through close cooperation with international partners. He added that the security agencies of both India and the US continue to work together, and the bilateral relationship continues to deepen. “India has consistently maintained that transnational organised crime, terrorism, narco-trafficking, human trafficking, illegal firearms trafficking and related criminal networks pose a serious threat to our societies.”
This was India's first official response to the US DOJ indictment of Lawrence Bishnoi and 37 people linked to India-based organised crime syndicates. Bishnoi is now lodged in the high-security Sabarmati Central Jail located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. His associate Satinderjeet Singh aliasGoldy Brar, remained absconding. The US DOJ have claimed that despite being held in the Sabarmati prison, Bishnoi had been communicating with smartphones and encrypted messaging apps to coordinate in international criminal activities as early as January 2026. The US DOJ have said that it intends to seek the formal extradition of Lawrence Bishnoi.
