Chandigarh/Bathinda, April 22 -- The upcoming docuseries on dreaded gangster Lawrence Bishnoi has sparked a major controversy in Punjab, with political leaders and victims' families calling for an immediate ban ahead of its April 27 premiere.

Titled 'Lawrence of Punjab', the new show to be aired on ZEE5, is based on life of Bishnoi who has gained international notoriety for allegedly running a sprawling criminal syndicate from behind bars.

Despite being incarcerated since 2015, Bishnoi's influence has reportedly expanded far beyond his native state Punjab, with his gang implicated in high-profile assassinations such as those of Punjabi singer Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu popularly known as Sidhu Moose Wala and politician Baba Siddique. The 33-...