Who is Lawrence Bishnoi, at centre of row between India and Canada?

By Krishn Kaushik

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India and Canada expelled six of each others' diplomats in tit-for-tat moves after Ottawa accused Indian government agents of links to the 2023 murder of a Sikh separatist leader near Vancouver.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which is investigating the case at the heart of Monday's rupture in ties, accused Indian government agents of being linked to an organised crime group called the "Bishnoi group".

India's top investigative body, the National Investigation Agency, describes the group as a criminal gang headed by Lawrence Bishnoi, whose lawyer says he contests more than 40 cases accusing him of crimes such as murder and extortion, with many trials yet to begin.

India has not reacted to the accusations of links between government officials and the Bishnoi group. The foreign ministry did not respond to a Reuters query for comment.

India has previously rejected as "preposterous" all Canadian accusations about the murder.

Here are key facts about Bishnoi and his associates.

WHO IS LAWRENCE BISHNOI?

The NIA has accused the 31-year-old law graduate, in jail since 2015, of running a trans-national crime syndicate.

Born in the northern state of Punjab, Bishnoi is short and lean, sporting a beard and moustache when seen in public for court appearances.

In statements, the NIA has said he runs his syndicate from jails in different states, as well as countries such as Canada, through associates, who have been in contact with "pro-Khalistani" elements in neighbouring Nepal and other countries.

However, Bishnoi has said he opposes Khalistan, or the demand for an independent Sikh state, and was not "anti-national", in an interview with a private news channel last year.

The video of the interview has since been taken down and police are investigating how the video came about.

WHERE IS HE?

Bishnoi is an inmate of the Sabarmati central jail in the western industrial city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state. Media have said he has been moved around different prisons out of concern for his safety - and his ability to break jail rules.

WHAT HAS CANADA ACCUSED HIM OF?

Canada did not state specific charges, but the RCMP said there was "specific targeting" of those supporting Khalistan in the country.

It named the Bishnoi organised crime group as having earlier claimed some of those actions, and accused it of being linked to Indian agents.

ARE THERE OTHER CASES AGAINST HIM?

Bishnoi and his associates face several murder, extortion and terror-related charges.

The NIA has said they want to unleash a wave of terror through targeted killings of well-known social and religious leaders, movie stars, singers and businessmen.

Some high-profile cases include the 2022 killing of a popular Punjabi rapper named Sidhu Moose Wala, which the NIA laid at the door of Bishnoi's associates.

Police, who arrested more than 20 people, have named Bishnoi as a key suspect, media have said.

In a video released by media channels, Bishnoi threatened to kill actor Salman Khan, an icon of India's Bollywood film industry, in 2018. Shots were fired near Khan's house this year. Bishnoi has not commented on the matter, however.

The police arrested two gunmen for an attack they later said was at the behest of Bishnoi's group.

On Saturday, gunmen in the business capital of Mumbai shot dead a lawmaker named Baba Siddique before fleeing.

An individual claiming to belong to Bishnoi's group took responsibility for the killing in a posting on Facebook. Police officials have since told media Bishnoi was behind the plot, without citing evidence.

WHAT IS BISHNOI'S POSITION?

Bishnoi's lawyer, Rajani, who only uses one name, said he faces about 40 cases of murder, extortion and terror-related charges, dating back to 2012, throughout India.

He has contested the accusations, with trials in many of these cases yet to start, she added.

(Reporting by Krishn Kaushik; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)