American prosecutors have named Lawrence Bishnoi, a gang leader imprisoned in India, as the person who ordered the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C. According to the RCMP investigation, Bishnoi directed the murder through his deputy in North America, Satinderjeet Singh, The Globe and Mail reports.

This matters because Canada has been telling a different story. In September 2023, three months after Nijjar's death, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament that the Indian government itself was likely responsible. That accusation created a major diplomatic crisis: both countries expelled diplomats, trade talks stalled, and the two governments argued publicly for over two years. Things have only started to improve since Mark Carney became Prime Minister.

Now the U.S. allegation introduces a rival explanation: not the Indian government, but an organized crime network operating across international borders. Four Indian citizens were arrested in spring 2024 and charged with murder in Nijjar's death. Their trial is expected to begin next summer in B.C. Supreme Court.

So what does Canada think now? Ottawa will not say. When asked if the government has changed its position in light of the Bishnoi allegation, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree's office declined to answer. It said commenting on an active police investigation ahead of trial would be inappropriate—a technically correct response that also allows the government to avoid taking sides between the two theories.

Government records obtained through freedom of information show some activity behind the scenes. A May 2025 briefing for the Foreign Affairs Minister shows Canada privately discussed the case with India, even as the criminal investigation was underway. An October 2025 parliamentary briefing mentioned that police found connections between Nijjar's killing and Indo-Canadian gangs. But none of this clarifies whether Ottawa still believes the Indian government was involved, or whether it now accepts the gang-based explanation.

Why the silence matters: if a gang killed Nijjar, the diplomatic story changes. Right now, Canada is trying to improve its relationship with India—part of a larger effort to reduce dependence on the United States for trade. It is much easier to rebuild ties if you can say the killing was criminal, not political. That may be why the government is being so careful about which theory it publicly backs.

The B.C. Supreme Court trial next summer will be the first real opportunity for Canadians to see solid evidence about who actually ordered the killing and why. Until then, Canada's official stance stays what it was in 2023: credible reasons to think the Indian government was involved—even as a jailed gang boss now stands accused of the same crime.