BHOPAL: Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Dr Mohan Yadav, met the family of 23-year-old Sikh student Gurkirat Singh Manocha in Ujjain on Tuesday. Manocha was allegedly killed in a brutal attack in Canada on 14 March.
In his home city of Ujjain, Dr Yadav visited the bereaved family at their residence in Parshwanath Colony and paid floral tribute to a photograph of the late Gurkirat Singh Manocha.
Describing the incident as “extremely painful,” the Chief Minister expressed his sympathies and those of the people of the state. He assured the family that the state government would bear the entire cost of bringing Gurkirat’s mortal remains to India and conducting the last rites.
Gurkirat Singh Manocha, who had moved abroad to pursue higher education, died after being assaulted by a group of youths and allegedly run over with a vehicle in Fort St John on 14 March. He sustained critical injuries and was rushed to a hospital, where he was later declared dead.
The student had travelled to Canada to pursue a postgraduate diploma in business management at Northern Lights College. His family in Ujjain first learned of the tragedy through a late-night call from one of his friends in Canada.
According to the Manocha family, Gurkirat was working part-time at a Walmart store alongside his studies, like many international students who take such jobs to support themselves. On the night of the incident, after finishing his shift, he was reportedly taken along by some students from Northern Lights College. A pre-existing dispute among some of the youths escalated into an altercation during which Gurkirat was assaulted and allegedly run over. Around 10 to 12 youths are believed to have been involved.
The police are awaiting the post-mortem report, after which further legal action is expected. Meanwhile, preparations to bring Gurkirat’s remains back to India have begun, with the family appealing to the government to expedite the process.
Gurkirat had completed his schooling at Carmel Convent School, Ujjain, and graduated from Vikram University. Prior to moving to Canada over a year ago, he assisted his father, Gurjeet Singh Manocha, in the family food supply business.