OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada — The Sikh Federation (Canada) is demanding an independent public inquiry and greater government transparency following a sweeping law enforcement operation in the United States. Federal prosecutors in the U.S. recently unsealed indictments against 37 individuals linked to the Bishnoi organized crime network, alleging widespread transnational repression, extortion, and targeted killings across North America.

The U.S. Department of Justice investigation, codenamed “Operation Hard Ball,” resulted in the arrest of two dozen individuals across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. According to federal prosecutors, incarcerated crime boss Lawrence Bishnoi and his North American associate Goldy Brar explicitly ordered the June 2023 assassination of prominent Sikh leader Shaheed Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia.

Public reporting surrounding the U.S. investigation has pointed to alleged direct ties between members of this criminal syndicate and Indian security officials, including individuals associated with the Punjab Police. The Sikh Federation (Canada) noted that these new developments reinforce the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) findings from October 2024. The RCMP had previously concluded that organized criminal networks were being utilized by the Government of India to carry out acts of transnational repression targeting pro-Khalistan activists and members of the Sikh diaspora in Canada.

In response to the coordinated international crackdown, the Sikh Federation (Canada) is urging the Canadian government to take definitive action. The organization is demanding full public disclosure regarding the extent of foreign state involvement in Canadian domestic affairs. Furthermore, the advocacy group is calling for an extension of Parliament’s ongoing study into foreign interference and the establishment of a dedicated, independent public inquiry into the assassination of Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar and other coordinated acts of violence.

Bhai Moninder Singh, National Spokesperson for the Sikh Federation (Canada), emphasized that justice must reach beyond the ground-level perpetrators. He stated that the public deserves complete transparency about the full architecture behind these crimes.

Singh stressed that accountability must extend beyond those who directly committed the violent offences. He argued that where evidence establishes the involvement of senior Indian officials, the Punjab Police, or other state agencies in directing, facilitating, or supporting criminal activity in Canada, those responsible must face appropriate legal, diplomatic, and policy consequences. Investigations, he added, must follow the evidence wherever it leads.