Family Appeals to Govt After Indian Student Harsimrat Randhawa Killed by Stray Bullet in Canada

The body of the 21-year-old Indian student Harsimrat Kaur Randhawa, who was mortally injured by an accidental stray bullet in Canada while waiting at a bus stop to attend work, family has called upon the central government to facilitate bringing her body back to India. They asserted that she was part of a crossfire between two groups in the port city of Hamilton.

Harsimrat Randhawa was a student at Mohawk college in Hamilton, Ontario.

Hamilton Police is investigating the murder that happened on Wednesday stating it had reported that Randhawa was an innocent bystander.

"She had gone to Canada about two years ago for her studies and was heading out for her daily routine when the incident occurred. During a clash between two groups, gunfire erupted, and she was struck by a bullet, leading to her death," the family said in a statement.

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Coming from Dhunda village in Tarn Taran district, Punjab Randhawa's family has demanded to fasten the process of bringing her dead body back from the government.

Speaking with Hindustan Times, Sukhwinder Singh, her grandfather, 65, said the family is devastated. “The family is in complete shock that my granddaughter has left us like this. It is very hard to react to the demise of my beloved granddaughter. I could only say that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said.

“Gangsterism is everywhere, and whatever the situation is in Punjab, it’s worse in Canada,” he added.

Vikram Singh Randhawa, Harsimrat's father, shared his grief, saying, “Had we known about such a law and order situation, I would have never sent my daughter to Canada. We thought our children were secured in a foreign land, but it is the other way around. We demand stringent punishment for the accused involved in the incident.”

The Consulate General of India in Toronto said in a post on X Friday, "We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Indian student Harsimrat Randhawa in Hamilton, Ontario."

The official added, "As per local police, she was an innocent victim, fatally struck by a stray bullet during a shooting incident involving two vehicles. A homicide investigation is currently underway. We are in close contact with her family and are extending all necessary assistance. Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved family during this difficult time."

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What Canada Police said

Hamilton Police said it received the report of a shooting around 7:30pm local time near Upper James and South Bend Road in Hamilton. When police arrived, they found Randhawa suffering from a gunshot injury to the chest after being rushed to the hospital, but she succumbed to her injuries.

From the collected video, investigators have established that a passenger of a black car fired on the occupants of a white sedan. Shortly after the shooting, the two vehicles left the scene.

The shots from the shooting incident also entered the rear window of a house nearby where the occupants sat watching television a few feet away. There was no one injured in the home, police said.

Police investigators are appealing to anyone with information gleaned from dashcam or security cameras between 7:15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. on the day of the incident in the vicinity of the shooting scene to provide that information to authorities to help further the investigation.

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