Canada police had not issued any statement regarding the accused in the case. According to media reports, eye-witnesses said two masked men opened fire at Gurjot. He was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to injuries. (Representational Image)Days after a 20-year-old Bathinda resident was shot dead in Canada, his family’s request for a visa, so they can bring back his body, has been refused. Gurjot Singh from Thamangarh village was shot dead outside Townhouse complex in Orenda, Canada, at around 10.45 pm on Tuesday.
The family said Canadian embassy officials have declined the request for an emergency visa of Gurjot’s uncle Avtar Singh to go to Canada and bring back his body. However, on Friday morning, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had tweeted: “Deepest condolences to the bereaved family of Gurjot Singh. Our CG in Toronto @IndiainToronto is assisting in the repatriation of mortal remains.”
“We had approached the embassy for the emergency visa but they told us that we cannot get a visa because we had no direct blood relation with Gurjot. His sister Navreet is only 17 years old and we cannot send her. His grandparents are too old to apply for the visa,” Avtar Singh told The Indian Express. Gurjot had gone to Canada on student visa last year. His parents had died when he was two-and-half-years old. Gurjot and his sister Navreet were brought up by their grandparents and uncle Avtar Singh.
“He had booked a flight to India on June 19. He was killed the day before his return. We were not aware of his plans to come here. He had told his friends that he wanted to give us a surprise,” said Avtar Singh.
Sources in Canada said that Gurjot’s driving license was suspended a few weeks back in Canada. Earlier he was working with a food delivery company as a part-time employee.
Canada police had not issued any statement regarding the accused in the case. According to media reports, eye-witnesses said two masked men opened fire at Gurjot. He was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to injuries.
“We have approached the Bathinda deputy commissioner to help us in getting an early visa so that we can go there and bring back the body. DC has told us that he has mailed our request to the home department. We have also approached MP Bhagwant Mann. At the same time we have been attempting to get a tourist visa to visit Canada,” he said.
