‘Freeze their assets’: Canada’s opposition seeks terror tag for Bishnoi gang; cites Kapil cafe attacks

Canada’s Conservative Party has urged Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government to add the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to the country’s list of terrorist organisations, Global News reported.The call comes amid a spate of violent incidents and extortion threats in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, which have alarmed the Asian community.Also read: After Kapil Sharma’s café shooting, Lawrence Bishnoi gang threatens directors; says ‘we will ruin atmosphere of Mumbai’The Bishnoi gang, allegedly linked to a network of organised crime, has been accused of claiming responsibility for shootings, including two recent attacks on Bollywood actor and comedian Kapil Sharma’s café in Surrey, BC.Conservative public safety critic Frank Caputo, a former Crown prosecutor, told Global News that the group’s activities met the criminal code definition of a terrorist organisation. “Given the terror that they are imposing on the South Asian community… they do meet the definition,” Caputo said, adding that such a designation would allow authorities to seize property, freeze bank accounts and pursue harsher penalties. BC Premier David Eby, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the mayors of Surrey and Brampton have also called for Ottawa to act.The gang’s name surfaced after a fresh shooting at Sharma’s Kap’s Café on August 8 — the second in less than a month — which Surrey Police Service said involved multiple gunshots in the early hours. No injuries were reported, but a post circulating on social media, allegedly from gangster Goldy Dhillon, claimed responsibility alongside the Bishnoi gang.Sharma’s café, which opened on July 4, was first targeted on July 10, forcing a temporary closure. In a social media post after reopening, the café described the attacks as “heartbreaking” but vowed to “stand firm against violence” and remain a place of “warmth and community.”