Voices Devdutt Pattanaik Balaji Vittal Ravi Shankar Ajai Sahni Dr Ramya Alakkal Mata Amritanandamayi THE new sunday express MAGAZINE Buffet People Wellness Books Food Art & Culture Entertainment april 12 2026 SUNDAY PAGES 12 Ballads and Bullets Exclusive Excerpts At the centre of today’s crime headlines is Lawrence Bishnoi, his rise reflecting a wider shift— where many young men in Punjab, once athletes and dreamers, have been pulled into a world of gangs, guns, and notoriety P unjab today is home to over 500 criminal gangs and modules, with nearly 2,000 active members. Their reach extends far beyond state borders—from the alleys of Moga to the suburbs of Brampton, from Bathinda to California and Melbourne. in handcuffs, to be at relative peace for several days in the lock-up or, more urgently, on the way back to the jail. So, sometimes, out of humanity, they allow a brief chat with a family member. Other times, a few pieces of coloured paper bearing Mahatma Gandhi’s face do the persuading *** Many were once promising athletes—wrestlers, kabaddi players, sprinters. They had talent, ambition, and dreams. But somewhere along the way they were abandoned—by their , families, by the system, by the very institutions that were meant to nurture, protect, and guide them. None of them turned to crime out of hunger or poverty They did not pick up the . gun because they had no food on the table. They did it for power, for pride, for revenge— and sometimes, simply because no one stopped them. Their descent into this quagmire was not inevitable. It was preventable. *** Among the youths crowding his son, one boy stood apart. Fair-skinned, with a neat haircut, expensive clothes and sports shoes, and muscular arms; though of medium height, he had a towering presence. There was a special spark in his eyes—a hunger for purpose, a longing to belong. He sat close to Shera, slowly cracking open pistachio shells and feeding him with his hands. Who is he? Singh wondered, keeping an eye on him even when the police whisked Shera away to the courtroom. As the group dispersed, the handsome youth waited. ‘Who are you, son?’ Singh had to know him. ‘Uncle Ji, I am from your area only My name is . Lawrence,’ he said, smiling. The smile touched something deep within Singh. Lawrence Bishnoi Sometime in August 2011, Jarnail Singh, weathered with age and endless rounds of courts and police stations, stood under a tree in the premises of a Panchkula (Haryana) court. His son, Shera Khuban, his lifeline, had become a shadow. A gangster, Shera’s name echoed as the ‘Badshah’ of the underworld after the infamous Panchkula bank robbery case. *** Singh moved towards his son; the police also allowed them to chat. The men in khaki understand that a few minutes with the family will help the ‘beast’ they had brought *** ‘I am like a brother to Shera bhaaji. He is a legend, a superhero,’ Lawrence insisted. ‘Our villages are but a whisper apart. Dutaranwali and Khuban—they share the same soil, the same blood.’ ‘I am studying in Chandigarh,’ Lawrence continued. Singh heaved a sigh of relief. Would he follow the path of Law? ‘We have about 110 acres of land. We are Bishnois,’ said Lawrence. *** Lawrence, undoubtedly the most talkedabout gangster in Punjab in present times with nearly 80 cases against him, has spoken through a number of posts on social media, besides audio messages and even a TV interview from police custody Sometimes, he . has done a U-turn in the court of law, denying all those claims. Following his media interview, the government banned all media interaction with him. His diary whose , authenticity has been confirmed by Lawrence’s uncle Ramesh Bishnoi besides Punjab Police officials, provides a glimpse into the gangster’s mind. The author is in possession of the diary pages referred to in this chapter. My parents pampered me from day one. They fulfilled all my wishes, bought me anything I wanted. It could be clothes or a motorcycle, or even a car or a school, a college [where] I wanted to study. Perhaps, that is why they gave in to my persistent demands to join a school and later a college in Chandigarh [about 350 km from his village, Dutaranwali]. And that is where began the new chapter of Prabhjinder Singh Brar, popularly known as Dimpy Chandbhan, was acknowledged by the police, media as the first gangster of Punjab, or even that part of North India comprising Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh besides Jammu and Kashmir Dimpy Chandbhan was Numero Uno, the first in a long list of Punjab gangsters that followed Lawrence Bishnoi is undoubtedly the most talked-about gangster in Punjab currently Among the youths crowding his son, one boy stood apart. Fair-skinned, with a neat haircut, expensive clothes and sports shoes, and muscular arms; though of medium height, Lawrence Bishnoi had a towering presence my life. I look back and would say I wasn’t ready for the big city, coming from a village; its flashy high-flying [life]style. I had not seen my schoolmates back home going to pubs and discos and hookah bars. I was a simple guy who wore what my mother chose for me and was happy with the monthly pocket money I received. My life pace was slow, like a bicycle till the big city happened. My parents wanted me out of the village for a better education. And at the tender age of ten, I was sent to boarding to get the best education and make them proud, at my aunt’s house (Bua ji—father’s sister). Instead, and contrary to their dreams, I became a criminal. Dimpy Chandbhan Over the years, Sukhna Lake became home to several species of birds, besides serving as a temporary abode for migratory avians from far-off Siberia as well. The atmosphere has remained serene despite the presence of a couple of hundreds of locals, besides tourists from various parts of India and abroad. *** On July 6, 2006, gunshots shattered such a poetic evening at the lake. Birds who had settled well in their homes on the trees, flapped about their wings in panic, screeching loudly . The shots were fired near the Sukhna Lake Club (Lake Sports Complex today), a hangout for the elite of the city who enjoy drinks and , dinner sitting on the lush lawns, if not inside. The club extends from the lake on one side to the Kansal green belt and the famous Nek Chand Saini’s Rock Garden on the other. That evening, there were no visible signs of rain. Unknown at that time, sinister clouds were hovering above. These would not bring rain; instead, these would raise the temperature of the state again, setting off a chain of events that continue to this day Two killers . were on the prowl, waiting behind one of the Turn to page 2