Hate crime suspected in killing of Punjabi boy in Canada

Prabhjot Singh Katri, a 23-year-old youth hailing from Bukkanwala village in Moga district, was brutally murdered with sharp-edged weapons at Truro city in New Scotia province of Canada in a suspected case of racially motivated hate crime.

Katri, who worked for Layton’s taxi service company in Truro, had come to Canada from India in 2017 to study.

“My heart goes out to the family and loved ones of Prabhjot Singh Katri, who was killed in Truro, NS. This is an unacceptable act of hate,” tweeted Sonia Sidhu, Member of Parliament for Brampton South.

“Hate, online hate, violence and racism have no place in our country, and we must continue our fight to eradicate it,” the 53-year-old parliamentarian added.

According to a CBC Canada report, police are treating the death as a homicide.

Singh’s friends are worried that the attack was a racially motivated hate crime, the report said.

The Deputy Chief of Truro Police Service, Robert Hearn received a 911 call at 2 am from 494 Robie Street, an apartment building. Upon arriving, they found a man with life-threatening injuries, CBC Canada reported.

MacNeil confirmed the victim was Prabhjot Singh Katri, who later died of his injuries.

“We executed several search warrants, and we did arrest a person of interest shortly after. However, he has since been released without charges related to this homicide at this time. That man remains a person of interest,” MacNeil said.

MacNeil said he met with the Parbhjot’s family, friends, and members of the local Indian-Canadian community Sunday night to express his condolences.

“The investigation is ongoing, and there’s no threat to most people at the moment,” Hearn stated.

Prabhjot stayed with his sister Rajvir Kaur and her husband for the past four years.

“He was a harmless man. He was getting back from his job when some unidentified individuals killed him outside his condominium. He worked as a taxi driver,” said Jatinder Kumar Deep Singh, one of all his mates.

Back home at village Bukkanwala in Punjab’s Moga, his family and relatives have appealed to the Indian government to help bring back his mortal remains for last rites.

Prabhjot is the son of a Kargil war hero. He lost his father when he was just one, village sarpanch Sukhjinder Singh said.

“One of his two sisters is married and lives in Canada. He used to live with her. The other sister lives in the village with their mother, who is not in a condition to talk,” said Sukhjinder Singh.

“We appeal to the government to help us in bringing his body back to India for last rites.,” the sarpanch added.

There were over one million registered Indians in Canada as of December 2019, according to database company Statista.

There have been several incidents of racially motivated crimes against Indians in Canada over the past few years.