Indian security officials frequently arrest criminals with ties to the Bishnoi, often alleging that the gang's network extends into Canada and overlaps with those promoting Khalistan, a once-violent separatist movement aimed at bringing out the Khalistan cause. of Canadian territory. Punjab state in India as an independent country.

A large Sikh diaspora lives in Canada, many of whom emigrated there after the Indian government's harsh and often indiscriminate crackdown in the 1980s on the Khalistan independence movement. Although the movement has largely died out in India, it still has supporters in some segments of the diaspora. The Indian government has accused Canada and some other Western countries of not doing enough to crack down on separatist groups.

Analysts and former security officials say that in India's geographical environment, RAW is often willing to venture into dark areas to recruit assassins. Senior officials in the Modi government, including Ajit Doval, a former intelligence chief turned national security adviser, have been accused in the past of delving into the underworld to find hitmen willing to go after them. take on targets inside the country. as well as abroad.

Bishnoi has shown extraordinary strength behind bars, even giving a television interview from prison last year to present himself as a nationalist fighter and not a criminal mastermind. According to a former security official, this reflects his efforts to align with the nationalist spirit in order to reach an agreement.