WASHINGTON: U.S.-based pro-Khalistan organization Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) on Wednesday welcomed the recent U.S. federal indictment against jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his alleged associate Satinderjeet Singh, also known as Goldy Brar, describing the charges as a significant step toward accountability in the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
In a statement, SFJ General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun claimed the indictment should not be viewed in isolation but alongside a separate U.S. murder-for-hire case involving an alleged plot against him.
Pannun alleged that both cases point to what he described as a broader campaign of transnational repression targeting supporters of the Khalistan movement.
SFJ further alleged that Bishnoi’s criminal network functioned as a proxy for senior Indian officials, including Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
The organization called on authorities in the United States, Canada and other Five Eyes countries to expand investigations beyond alleged gang members and determine whether any state actors played a role.
The advocacy group argued that prosecutions should not stop with those accused of carrying out violent acts but should also examine individuals who may have authorized, financed or directed such operations.
It urged governments to deny diplomatic protection to anyone found responsible for acts of transnational violence.
The statement also linked the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada with the alleged U.S. murder-for-hire plot against Pannun, claiming both incidents were connected. SFJ called for international sanctions against those it believes were involved.
According to a federal indictment unsealed in Los Angeles, U.S. prosecutors charged Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar with allegedly directing the June 18, 2023, killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia.
Prosecutors allege Bishnoi directed the operation from prison in India using smuggled mobile phones and provided Nijjar’s photograph and addresses to co-conspirators.
The indictment was announced as part of Operation Hard Ball, a coordinated law enforcement operation involving U.S., Canadian and European authorities.
The Justice Department said 37 defendants linked to three India-based organized crime groups were charged with offenses including racketeering, extortion, drug trafficking and targeted violence, while 24 suspects were arrested during coordinated raids.