Indian Youth From Punjab Shot Dead In Surrey, Parents Question Canada Govt

The victim had arrived in Canada in 2019 on a student visa and had received his Canadian Permanent Resident (PR) status recently.

An Indian-origin man from Punjab’s Ludhiana was shot dead in Surrey, Canada, on Friday. The man was identified as Yuvraj Goyal. According to media reports, Yuvraj, 28, had arrived in the country in 2019 on a student visa and had received his Canadian Permanent Resident (PR) status recently.

Giving details about the victim, the Royal Canadian Police said that the victim worked as a sales executive, and his father, Rajesh Goyal, operates a firewood business. Yuvraj’s mother, Shakun Goyal, is a homemaker, as reported by NDTV. The officials further stated that Yuvraj had no criminal record, and the motive behind his murder is unknown and still under investigation.

According to the NDTV report, the incident occurred on June 7 at 8:46 AM, when the Surrey Police received a call reporting a shooting in the 900-block of 164 Street in Surrey, British Columbia. After the officers arrived, they discovered Yuvraj dead, and four suspects had been taken into custody by the police.

The suspects were identified as Manvir Basram (23), Sahib Basra (20), Harkirat Jhutty (23) of Surrey, and Keilon Francois (20) of Ontario. They were charged with first-degree murder on Saturday, the report stated.

According to an Indian Express report, the victim went to Canada after completing his graduation. He pursued a B.Com. (honours) from Delhi University and worked for about two years in India before moving to Canada to pursue a master’s in finance.

Sergeant Timothy Pierotti said, "We are thankful for the hard work of the Surrey RCMP, Air 1, and  Lower Mainland Integrated Emergency Response Team (IERT), but there is still more work to be done.  Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) investigators remain dedicated to determining why Goyal was the victim of this homicide," as quoted by NDTV.

A preliminary investigation into the case suggested that the shooting was targeted, although the reasons behind Yuvraj's killing are still being explored, he further stated.

Spoke To Him Shortly Before The Incident: Yuvraj’s Mother

Speaking to The Indian Express, Yuvraj’s mother, Shakun, who visited him in March, said they were in shock as he had no known enemies. “I spoke to him shortly before the incident. He was in his car, returning home from the gym early in the morning. He told me to go to sleep, as it was nighttime here in India. He said he would call back later,” she said.

Yuvraj’s parents said that the Canadian government must understand that parents don’t send their children to receive their lifeless bodies back home.

“I don’t think anyone can give us justice. No one can bring our son back, but the Canadian government must understand that parents send their children to Canada with a lot of dreams, not to get their lifeless bodies back,” said Yuvraj’s mother, as quoted by IE.

“Who should we blame? The Canadian government must realise that this is not the first such incident on their soil. They must strictly punish those who target innocents. Many such children have been killed in Canada before. My son never had even a minor clash with anyone since he went to Canada in 2019. Why was he targeted? Can anyone answer?” she asked. “He was extremely happy and well-settled in White Rock, an upscale area in Surrey,” she stated.