Sikh woman shot dead in Canada's Ontario province
Toronto, (PTI): A 21-year-old Canadian-Sikh woman has been shot dead, in an apparent "targeted" killing in Canada's Ontario province, according to the police.
The victim, identified as Pawanpreet Kaur from Brampton, was fatally shot by an unidentified assailant on Saturday night in Mississauga city of Ontario province, according to a press release by the Peels Regional Police on Sunday.
According to the Toronto Sun newspaper, Kaur was shot outside a gas station.
Police received information about a woman being shot at around 10:39 pm, and located the victim with apparent gunshot wounds upon arrival at the scene. Life-saving measures were attempted however the victim succumbed to her injuries, the press release said.
The police believe it to be a "targeted" incident.
Kaur was pronounced deceased on the scene, according to Duty-Inspector Tim Nagtegaal quoted by the news report.
Little information was provided about the suspect.
"We are not able at this time to state the sex of the suspect, only that it was a party seen leaving all dark clothing," Nagtegaal was quoted as saying in the report. "The culprit was seen running from the scene wearing all dark clothing," he added.
"We saw her fall down and then suddenly the gunman pointed the gun at her head," the Toronto Sun newspaper quoted an eyewitness, Carmela Sandoval, as saying.
This comes days after an Indian-origin teenager Mehakpreet Sethi was stabbed to death by another teenager in a high school parking lot in Canada's British Columbia province.
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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