Tiger Shroff Firing Case: The Lawrence Bishnoi gang is once again in the news after claiming responsibility for the recent firing incident involving actor Tiger Shroff. The Mumbai Police have arrested 10 people so far in connection with the case.
The incident has raised a key question: Why have the Mumbai Police been unable to question gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, whose gang has been linked to at least four major crimes in the city over the past three years? The latest firing incident involving Tiger Shroff is reportedly linked to his "connections with Salman Khan".
The main reason is an order issued by the Union Home Ministry that prevents Bishnoi from being taken out of Gujarat's Sabarmati Jail. In August 2023, the ministry issued the order under Section 268 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). It barred authorities from moving Bishnoi out of the jail for questioning by other agencies. The restriction has since been renewed under Section 303 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which replaced the CrPC.
Because of this order, courts' production warrants and requests from agencies seeking Bishnoi's custody for questioning cannot be acted upon. The central government said the restriction was necessary to maintain public order and prevent violence during his transfer. Agencies can question him only through a video link or inside the jail, with permission from the appropriate court.
This is not the first time a prisoner has been kept under such restrictions.
In 2015, a similar order was issued in the case of underworld don Chhota Rajan, who was sent to Delhi's Tihar Jail after being arrested in Indonesia and deported to India. In several media interviews, Rajan claimed that his life would be in danger if he were kept in Mumbai, alleging that some Mumbai police officers were working for his rival, Dawood Ibrahim.
Bishnoi's younger brother, Anmol, is also lodged in Tihar Jail in Delhi. He has been under similar restrictions since his deportation from the US last year.
Lawrence Bishnoi has been in Sabarmati Jail in Ahmedabad since 2023. He faces several cases in Punjab, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, along with cases linked to incidents abroad. However, his gang has allegedly continued to threaten and attack people even while he remains behind bars.
In April 2024, Bishnoi came into the spotlight after shots were fired outside Galaxy Apartments in Bandra, where actor Salman Khan lives. The police alleged that the firing was part of a plot to kill the actor and linked the incident to Bishnoi's gang.
Salman Khan has been a target for years. Bishnoi's gang has claimed that its actions against Tiger Shroff and others are linked to their association with the superstar. After Sunday's firing incident involving Tiger Shroff, the gang repeated its warning that unless Salman Khan apologises to Lawrence Bishnoi community, "we will not spare anyone in your family, not even your pet dogs", the post read.
The latest incident took place on October 18, when three assailants allegedly fired at Tiger Shroff's car in Juhu. The firing has once again brought attention to the restrictions preventing the police from questioning Bishnoi. His gang claimed responsibility for the incident in a social media post.
The police arrested the three suspects at Kota railway station in Rajasthan on Monday. Seven more people have since been arrested. According to the police, the initial investigation linked the shooters to gangster Anil Pandit, an associate of Bishnoi. The suspects were reportedly planning to escape to Nepal.
Pandit, who is reportedly in the US along with several other gang members, shared a voice note on social media claiming responsibility for the incident.
Despite the gang's alleged involvement in several major crimes, the Mumbai Police have not been able to question Lawrence Bishnoi in any of these cases.