Of late, the Punjabi community in Canada’s mini-Punjab, Brampton, has witnessed an unprecedented surge in the number of violent incidents. This has cast a shadow of fear and uncertainty over the community here.
The brazen killing of Pradeep Singh, a truck driver, four days ago, was the 11th murder in Brampton in the past one year.
Pradeep, as per the Canadian authorities, was ambushed and killed in a gunfire at his home in Donwoods Court in the area of Countryside Drive and Airport Road.
The increasing incidents of violence are not only a concern for the lawkeepers, but also for the peace-loving Punjabis here.
Recently, a Brampton townhall attracted hundreds on youth violence. The discussion focused on whether the violence was being caused by international students or domestic students. Tempers flared as students shouted at each other.
The event was organised by the Ontario Gurdwara Committee and United Sikhs in response to the growing concern from the community as social media videos depicting people engaging in violent acts in the middle of the streets and parking lots in Brampton, mostly near the Sheridan College Davis Campus, have gone viral.
Be it flaring up of tension between international students and their Indo-Canadian landlords, domestic violence, road rage or business rivalries and crime in Brampton has touched enormous proportions.
