Firing outside AP Dhillon's Canada home: Who is he? What's his connection to Salman Khan?  

Shots were reportedly fired outside singer AP Dhillon’s home in Canada’s Vancouver.

Republic.com reported that a video of the alleged incident has surfaced.

Authorities are looking into the matter and suspect that the Goldie Brar led gang may be involved.

According to reports, Rohit Godara, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang which is accused of murdering Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, has claimed credit for the incident.

Firstpost has not independently verified the video.

But who is AP Dhillon? What is his connection to Salman Khan?

Let’s take a closer look:

Who is AP Dhillon?

Amritpal Singh Dhillon, better known as AP Dhillon, is an Indian-born Canadian rapper.

As per The Statesman, Dhillon was born on January 10, 1993.

His family, who are Sikhs, hailed from Punjab’s Gurdaspur.

Dhillon studied at the Little Flower Convent School.

He graduated in civil engineering from Baba Kuma Singh Ji Engineering College – which is affiliated with Punjab Technical University in Amritsar.

Dhillon moved to Canada in 2015 to pursue a diploma in business administration and management.

He studied at the Camosun College in British Columbia.

Dhillon spent years working odd jobs at gas stations and convenience stores.

Dhillon originally wanted to be a basketball player.

“Before this, I just wanted to be a basketball player. When I moved to Canada, I was in survival mode. I salute all the students who go there. They work so hard, they go there from such a different culture. They try to fit in, there is pressure of working, making money, and going to school.”

“Sometimes you forget about your dreams, you just want to survive. But we didn’t stop. Music was always my passion. I wanted to make music, I loved singing, and playing guitar here and there,” he said.

In 2019, Dhillon released his first song ‘Fake’ under the independent Run-Up Records label.

He would go on to find success with songs such as “Majhail” and “Brown Munde” – which would top the charts and make Dhillon a household name.

Dhillon’s struggles were also the subject of an Amazon Prime documentary series entitled AP Dhillon: First of A Kind.

Dhillon told PTI he is proud that the world is taking note of the music created by Indians residing in Canada and the US.

“We, as a brown community, are getting the light, the appreciation that we deserve, and that our culture is moving forward, like hip-hop music… I don’t think the world took us seriously before, and now they are,” he said.

“The music coming from India or the Indian people, who are in Canada or in States, is getting recognised. It is amazing to see all these artists now doing different things, trying independently… So it gave people hope that, ‘If he can do it, I can do it too’,” he added.

Dhillon said he counts Punjabi icons Jitender Sartaj, Amar Singh Chamkila and Sidhu Moosewala as well as maestro A R Rahman and singer Arijit Singh among his inspirations.

“I used to listen to artist tracks, I would listen to a lot of Punjabi artists like Jitender Sartaj, Garry Sandhu, Amar Singh Chamkila, they are legends, Gurdip Mann. I used to listen to all sorts of music… There’ve been some great artists, like so many… Arjit Singh, AR Rahman, Siddhu was amazing. There is a lot of old music. So, a lot of these artists inspire,” he added.

What is his connection to Salman Khan?

Dhillon recently featured actor Salman Khan in a music video for the song Old Money which released in August.

The video also featured actor Sanjay Dutt.

According to India Today, a message circulating on social media has claimed that the Bishnoi gang on September 1 organised shootings at two places in Canada – at Victoria Island and at Woodbridge.

The Bishnoi gang has also reportedly threatened Dillon over his connection with Salman, warning the singer to “stay within his limits, or he will meet a “dog’s death.”

Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently behind bars in a drug smuggling case investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), had threatened Salman over the killing of a blackbuck.

The Bishnoi community reveres the blackbuck as a reincarnation of their holy Guru Bhagwan Jambeshwar and considers its killing a sin.

Salman was convicted by a trial court and sentenced to five years in prison for killing two blackbucks during the shooting of “Hum Saath Saath Hain” in Kankani village near Jodhpur on the night of 1 October, 1998.

He was later granted bail in the case.

In April, two suspects on a motorcycle had fired five rounds at Salman’s residence in Mumbai’s Bandra.

Anmol Bishnoi, the younger brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, had claimed credit for the attack in a purported Facebook post.

Salman told the police, “I heard a cracker-like sound. Then, at around 4.55 am, the police bodyguard said that two people on a bike had fired from a weapon at the Galaxy Apartment’s first floor balcony. There had been attempts to hurt me and my family prior to this as well. I have learnt that Lawrence Bishnoi has taken responsibility for the attack from social media. So, I believe that it is the Lawrence Bishnoi gang who have carried out the firing on my balcony,” the statement read.

“Earlier also, a  Lawrence Bishnoind his gang members in an interview talked about killing me and my relatives. So, I believe that Lawrence Bishnoi, with the help of his gang members carried out the firing incident when my family members were sleeping inside and planning to kill me and my family members so they carried out the attack,” the actor added.

The Bishnoi gang has been threatening Salman, and those connected with him, for more than a year.

In November 2023, the Bishnoi gang fired shots outside the home of Punjabi-singer-turned actor Gippy Grewal in Canada.

The gang also took responsibility in a Facebook post.

The gang wrote, “You consider Salman Khan a brother, but now it’s time for your ‘brother’ to come and save you. This message is also for Salman Khan – don’t be in the illusion that Dawood will save you; no one can save you. Your dramatic response to Sidhu Moose Wala’s death did not go unnoticed. We all know the kind of person he was and the criminal associations he had. You hovered around Vicky when he was in Middukheda, and later, you mourned even more for Sidhu. You’ve now landed on our radar. Consider this a trailer; the full film will be released soon. Flee to any country you wish, but remember, death doesn’t require a visa; it comes uninvited.”

Grewal had insisted that he has no relationship with Salman and that he only met him twice – at the trailer launch of a movie and the set of a TV show.

“The producer who backed Maujaan Hi Maujaan invited Salman to the trailer launch. I met him there. Before that, I met him on the sets of Bigg Boss. I have no friendship with Salman Khan and the anger of it is being taken out on me. For me, it is still shocking and I am unable to process what has happened to me.”

‘Will break his ego’

“Will break his ego sooner or later. He should come to our deity’s temple and apologise. If our society forgives, then I will not say anything,” Lawerence earlier told ABP News.

Bishnoi has also called killing Salman his ‘life goal’.

Canada-based gangster Goldie Brar, who is affiliated with the Bishnoi gang, has also previously stated that Salman is on his lit list.

“We will kill him, we will definitely kill him. Bhai saheb (Lawrence) had stated that he wouldn’t apologise. Baba will show mercy only when he feels merciful,” Brar told India Today.

“Like we have said earlier, it’s not just about Salman Khan. We will continue our attempts against all our enemies as long as we’re alive. Salman Khan is our target, there’s no doubt about that. We’ll keep trying, and when we succeed, you’ll know.”

Salman was been given Y plus security by the Mumbai Police.

He also added a bulletproof car to his security detail.

With inputs from agencies