Indian student shot dead near University of Toronto campus
Toronto (PTI): A 20-year-old Indian doctoral student has been shot dead near the University of Toronto Scarborough campus, with authorities probing the case as a homicide, officials said.
The shooting took place on Tuesday, and the Toronto police on Wednesday identified the victim as Shivank Avasthi, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
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Police were called to the area of Highland Creek Trail and Old Kingston Road at about 3:30 pm on Tuesday for a report of an injured person lying on the ground, Duty. Inspector Jeff Allington told reporters near the scene on Tuesday night.
When officers arrived, they found a person with a gunshot wound. That person was pronounced dead at the scene, the report added.
The police are probing the case as a homicide.
"Our immediate focus is on preserving evidence at the scene, determining what happened and notifying this individual's next of kin. Because of that, there is very little information that I am able to share with you tonight," Allington said.
Toronto police said the suspect fled the area prior to police arrival. No suspect description has been released.
Meanwhile, India's Consulate in Toronto expressed “deep anguish” over the student’s “tragic death”.
"We express deep anguish over the tragic death of a young Indian doctoral student, Shivank Avasthi, in a fatal shooting incident near the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. The Consulate is in touch with the bereaved family during this difficult time, and is extending all necessary assistance in close coordination with the local authorities," the Consulate posted on X.
A UTSC spokesperson said the university was “extremely saddened” to learn about the death near their campus, but did not confirm if he was a student, CP24 Television network reported.
“We cannot comment on the identity of the victim at this time,” the spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday evening.
"We are grateful to our Campus Safety team, Toronto Police Service and emergency medical service personnel for their immediate response and action.”
The University of Toronto Scarborough campus (UTSC) issued a safety alert advising anyone in a building to stay inside and anyone outdoors to leave the area.
In a social media post, the school said the police investigation is in the Highland Creek Valley at UTSC. It said pathways into the valley remain closed, and people are advised to avoid the valley until police reopen it.
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PM's silence on Kharge's insult by Himanta is his consent: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the use of "derogatory language" against party chief Mallikarjun Kharge by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is an insult to the entire SC/ST community, and the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the matter "is not his helplessness, but his consent".
"If the prime minister sees an attack on the dignity of crores of Dalits in the country and does not speak up - he is not only shirking his responsibility, but is also a party to that insult," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
Gandhi said the use of "vulgar and derogatory language" by Sarma against Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Kharge "is entirely condemnable, shameful, and unacceptable".
"Kharge ji is a senior and popular Dalit leader of the country - his experience, stature, and prestige are unparalleled. Insulting him is not an insult to one individual alone, but also to crores of people from the SC-ST community in this country," he posted.
This, he said, just reflected the "old and premeditated mindset" of the BJP-RSS and was nothing new, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha said.
"Whether it is the insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar, belittling Dalit leaders, or personal attacks on representatives of the SC-ST community - the history of BJP and RSS bears witness that whenever a Dalit leader speaks the truth, they stoop to humiliate him," he posted.
"This is their ideology, this is their true character and face," he added.
Posing a direct question to the PM, he asked, "do you support Himanta Sarma's use of this language? Your silence is not helplessness, it is consent."
Sarma earlier hit out at Kharge, claiming that he was "speaking like a madman" due to old age, after the latter put the onus on central agencies to probe the charges made against the Assam chief minister.
Slamming the Congress chief, Sarma said, "Kharge is ageing and is speaking like a pagal (madman)."
