Vidhi Kalpeshbhai Meghani, 22, was the victim of a fatal stabbing in Canada’s Niagara region on May 15. It is an event that has only heightened unease about student security and the kind of violence aimed at the diaspora. A case has been opened by Canadian authorities who are now looking for the person responsible, though why it happened is still an open question.
What we know so far
Originally from Borsad in the Anand district of Gujarat, Meghani made her way to Canada to study some four years back. She had a part-time job as well, which is something you see with a lot of international students trying to make ends meet.
It all went down in the Niagara region on the 15th. While the word on the street is that it could have been a botched robbery, the police have not put any of that on the record. They have yet to make any official connection to a larger pattern of behaviour.
Here is what has been put on file:
– Victim: Vidhi Kalpeshbhai Meghani (Borsad, Anand)
– 22 years old; in Canada for four years
– The incident: A knife attack in Niagara, May 15
– Where things stand: Case is open, they are after the suspect
– As for the motive: Unknown
Why this one is being felt outside of Niagara
You can feel the tension in the Indian community in Canada right now. Take the case of Harshandeep Singh, a Punjabi student who was put to a bullet in Edmonton last December while on duty as a guard. That one made waves.
Then there was Harsimrat Kaur Randhawa of Tarn Taran, who was hit by a stray round in Hamilton, Ontario. And in March, a 25-year-old from Madhya Pradesh, Gurkirat Singh Manocha, was beaten to death in Fort St. John, B.C.
Timeline and what happens next
It is a simple, hard fact: a man was killed on May 15 and the police have a case on their books and are in pursuit of the one who did it. For the time being, there is no evidence to say it was a hate crime or anything of the sort.
Now comes the work of the investigation. The police will have to piece together how we got to this point and put a name to the suspect. We will have to wait for them to tell us if this is just a matter of street crime or part of something more involving South Asian students.
Wider enforcement actions
In a show of force, 17 were taken in by the police earlier this week. They are said to be part of an outfit that has been preying on members of the South Asian community on both sides of the border. The charges run the gamut from extortion to shooting and even arson.
Community concerns and official attention
There is no getting around the rise in racism and the kind of violence being reported against the Indian diaspora. It is not just people being hurt; in the last few years, you have seen diplomatic outposts and even places of worship come under fire.
When you are an Indian family thinking of sending a child to school in Canada, these stories give you pause. Even as they look into what happened to Meghani, the reaction has been to ask for better protections and a system that can stand up for the students living here.
