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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Karnataka MLA Vinay Kulkarni disqualified after conviction in Goudar murder case
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Saturday issued an official notification regarding the disqualification of Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni following his conviction in the murder case of BJP leader Yogeshgouda Goudar.
The former minister is currently in prison, serving life imprisonment in the case.
“Consequent upon the conviction of Vinay Kulkarni, Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly representing the Dharwad constituency, by the LXXXI Additional City Civil & Sessions Judge, Bengaluru City (CCH-82), in Spl CC No. 565/2021, he stands disqualified from the membership of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the date of conviction, i.e, April 15, 2026,” the notification read.
“He stands disqualified in terms of the provisions of Article 191(1)(e) of the Constitution of India, read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and such disqualification shall continue for a further period of six years after his release, unless the conviction is stayed by a competent court,” it added.
Hence, one seat in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly has fallen vacant, the notification said.
Bypolls were held on April 9 to fill two other seats in the 224-member Assembly that fell vacant due to the death of sitting MLAs. The results will be declared on May 4.
On April 15, Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat convicted Kulkarni and others under various IPC sections, including criminal conspiracy and murder. Subsequently, on April 17, the court sentenced Kulkarni and 15 others convicted in the case to life imprisonment.
The case pertains to the killing of Goudar, a BJP Zilla Panchayat member, in Dharwad on June 15, 2016. Kulkarni was a minister at that time. Hired assailants attacked and hacked Goudar to death in his gym at Saptapur in Dharwad.
Following demands from Goudar’s family and others, the then-BJP government transferred the case to the CBI in 2019.
The CBI filed a supplementary chargesheet in 2020, naming Vinay Kulkarni as the “main conspirator.” It alleged that he perceived Yogeshgouda Goudar as a growing political rival in Dharwad and hired contract killers to eliminate him.
Kulkarni was arrested by the CBI in 2020. He was granted bail by the Supreme Court in August 2021 under certain conditions, including a ban on entering Dharwad district. However, in June 2025, the apex court cancelled his bail following allegations of witness tampering and attempts to influence prosecution witnesses.
Kulkarni again sought bail in January 2026, but the High Court rejected it, citing judicial propriety.
However, the Supreme Court granted him bail on February 27 after noting that all witnesses had been examined.
