The Crossbill News Desk
A political controversy erupted after Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah and jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi were one and the same person, drawing a sharp response from the BJP.
Raut made the remarks while addressing his party’s annual Dussehra rally in Mumbai, where he referred to the recent firing incident involving actor Tiger Shroff and alleged threats issued by the Bishnoi gang against Salman Khan, Rohit Shetty and other film personalities, Deccan Herald reported.
“Lawrence Bishnoi does not even exist; Amit Shah himself is Lawrence Bishnoi,” Raut said.
Bishnoi, who is lodged in Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail, is believed to head a transnational criminal network. He has been linked to several high-profile crimes, including the 2022 murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, the 2024 killing of politician Baba Siddiqui and threats against actor Salman Khan over the black buck hunting case, which has religious significance for the Bishnoi community.
Reacting to Raut’s remarks, BJP leader and Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane questioned how the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader knew what was happening inside the prison.
“If the Opposition sees Bishnoi in Amit Shah, we see Dawood Ibrahim in Uddhav Thackeray, and Uddhav Thackeray in Dawood Ibrahim,” he said.
Rane also took a swipe at Raut, asking whether he had been “sweeping floors in Sabarmati jail” to gain such knowledge.
The controversy comes days after a group claiming to represent the Bishnoi gang took responsibility for firing at Shroff’s car on Sunday (October 18). Despite previous attacks targeting prominent personalities in Mumbai, police have reportedly been unable to secure the custody of Bishnoi, who is lodged in Sabarmati Central Jail, or his brother Anmol Bishnoi, who is in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. An order issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs bars investigating agencies from taking the two men out of their respective prisons.
Neither Lawrence nor Anmol Bishnoi has been named as an accused in the firing incident involving Shroff so far.
Bishnoi’s alleged criminal activities have also drawn international attention. He has been indicted in the United States for allegedly ordering the June 2023 assassination of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
The case marked the first time an India-based gang was criminally charged in connection with the killing, which triggered a major diplomatic dispute between India and Canada. In September 2025, the Canadian government designated the Bishnoi enterprise as a terrorist entity.
Bishnoi has also featured in a US operation known as ‘Operation Hard Ball’, which identified gangsters and associates allegedly involved in organised criminal activities, including the assassination of a “political and religious figure” in Canada in 2023. The investigation has outlined alleged links to arms dealing, extortion and drug trafficking, with some of the activities reportedly directed from inside Indian prisons.
According to the US indictment, Bishnoi cultivated a public image as a “patriot,” “nationalist,” and deeply religious individual through social media and interviews with news organisations.
Investigators allege that this image helped him recruit members and associates across India, the United States and other countries, building what the indictment describes as a “sweeping criminal enterprise that spanned multiple continents.”
The indictment further alleges that Bishnoi used contraband mobile phones and other voice-over-internet-protocol devices smuggled into his prison cell to direct a range of crimes, including political assassinations, murders, shootings, extortion, kidnappings, drug trafficking and human smuggling, carried out by members and associates of his network worldwide.
Raut made the remarks while addressing his party’s annual Dussehra rally in Mumbai, where he referred to the recent firing incident involving actor Tiger Shroff and alleged threats issued by the Bishnoi gang against Salman Khan, Rohit Shetty and other film personalities, Deccan Herald reported.
“Lawrence Bishnoi does not even exist; Amit Shah himself is Lawrence Bishnoi,” Raut said.
Bishnoi, who is lodged in Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail, is believed to head a transnational criminal network. He has been linked to several high-profile crimes, including the 2022 murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, the 2024 killing of politician Baba Siddiqui and threats against actor Salman Khan over the black buck hunting case, which has religious significance for the Bishnoi community.
Reacting to Raut’s remarks, BJP leader and Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane questioned how the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader knew what was happening inside the prison.
“If the Opposition sees Bishnoi in Amit Shah, we see Dawood Ibrahim in Uddhav Thackeray, and Uddhav Thackeray in Dawood Ibrahim,” he said.
Rane also took a swipe at Raut, asking whether he had been “sweeping floors in Sabarmati jail” to gain such knowledge.
The controversy comes days after a group claiming to represent the Bishnoi gang took responsibility for firing at Shroff’s car on Sunday (October 18). Despite previous attacks targeting prominent personalities in Mumbai, police have reportedly been unable to secure the custody of Bishnoi, who is lodged in Sabarmati Central Jail, or his brother Anmol Bishnoi, who is in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. An order issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs bars investigating agencies from taking the two men out of their respective prisons.
Neither Lawrence nor Anmol Bishnoi has been named as an accused in the firing incident involving Shroff so far.
Bishnoi’s alleged criminal activities have also drawn international attention. He has been indicted in the United States for allegedly ordering the June 2023 assassination of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
The case marked the first time an India-based gang was criminally charged in connection with the killing, which triggered a major diplomatic dispute between India and Canada. In September 2025, the Canadian government designated the Bishnoi enterprise as a terrorist entity.
Bishnoi has also featured in a US operation known as ‘Operation Hard Ball’, which identified gangsters and associates allegedly involved in organised criminal activities, including the assassination of a “political and religious figure” in Canada in 2023. The investigation has outlined alleged links to arms dealing, extortion and drug trafficking, with some of the activities reportedly directed from inside Indian prisons.
According to the US indictment, Bishnoi cultivated a public image as a “patriot,” “nationalist,” and deeply religious individual through social media and interviews with news organisations.
Investigators allege that this image helped him recruit members and associates across India, the United States and other countries, building what the indictment describes as a “sweeping criminal enterprise that spanned multiple continents.”
The indictment further alleges that Bishnoi used contraband mobile phones and other voice-over-internet-protocol devices smuggled into his prison cell to direct a range of crimes, including political assassinations, murders, shootings, extortion, kidnappings, drug trafficking and human smuggling, carried out by members and associates of his network worldwide.
Comments (0)
Leave a Comment