Is Canada Becoming A Brewing Pot For Hate Crimes?
With one of the biggest numbers of South Asians living in Canada, we are seeing more hate crimes as the country is opening up after COVID.
According to media reports, the body of a 23-year-old Indian was found at an apartment in Truro town of Canada’s Nova Scotia province. Suspected as a racially- motivated hate crime, David MacNeil of the Truro Police Service said a 911 call from 494 Robie St at 2 am on Sunday brought officers to the apartment building, where they found a man with life-threatening injuries.
The victim was Prabhjot Singh Katri who later died of his injuries.
Singh worked for Layton’s taxi as well as one or two restaurants in Truro to pay for his education. Friends and family say Singh Katri was a quiet man who didn’t do drugs or drink.
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A candlelight vigil is scheduled for Friday, September 10th evening in Truro.
“We are all praying for Prabhjot and seeking justice for the loss of his life,” said the Maritime Sikh Society in a Facebook post. “We are all members of a large human family, a community, despite our color, race, appearance, or beliefs. We will be respectful and cordial to each other despite the anger, frustration, and fear that some are experiencing.”
A GoFundMe has also been set up in an effort to send Singh’s body to Bukkanwala in Moga District of Punjab, India, where his widowed mother lives.
India’s high commission in Ottawa has urged the Canadian government to make sure all Indian citizens are safe in the country. They have also urged Indian nationals to “exercise caution, avoid moving alone in desolate and lonely areas, especially at night, and report to local police any suspicious or hateful activities they may encounter.”
Living in fear for your life every day is a curse. The Canadian government will have to step up and reassure its citizens and the world that the country is not slipping into the ebb of becoming a country filled with hate.
