A tragic case of targeted violence has emerged from Canada involving a young man from Surat, Gujarat. Dharmesh Katheeriya, just 27 years old, was brutally murdered by stabbing in Canada. As per the initial details, the attack took place on the afternoon of Friday, April 4, in what is now being seen as a suspected hate crime. The police have confirmed the arrest of the accused involved in this horrific incident. However, authorities have not yet disclosed the motive behind the murder or the full identity of the attacker.

According to a fundraising page started by well-wishers to support Dharmesh’s grieving family, this was not a random act of violence, but a calculated assault carried out by his own neighbour. The circumstances described on that page suggest that this was a hate crime, driven by racial hostility. Despite these alarming indications, the Canadian police are remaining silent for now, stating that they cannot comment until the investigation reaches its conclusion.

The tragedy unfolded in Clarence-Rockland, a town located near Ottawa, the capital of Canada. As per reports, Dharmesh Kathireeya was fatally stabbed on April 4 by his Caucasian neighbor, who, just before attacking, reportedly hurled racial slurs at him. “Dharmesh Kathireeya stabbed to death on April 4 by his Caucasian neighbor in Clarence-Rockland, near Canada’s capital. The assailant reportedly shouted racial slurs before fatally stabbing Dharmesh. Om Shanti.” These chilling details have sparked outrage among the Indian diaspora and have reignited debates around racial safety in North America.

Dharmesh had been trying to build a life in Canada, having opened a small departmental store after years of hard work. Around a year and a half ago, he returned to India to marry his partner, Ravina. After their wedding, the couple moved back to Canada and began managing the store together, working tirelessly to achieve the dreams they had built as newlyweds. But their life was torn apart in an instant by an act of cruel violence.

The events that unfolded on that fateful morning are horrifying. According to sources close to the family, Dharmesh and Ravina were washing clothes using a shared washing machine in the backyard of their home when their neighbor suddenly appeared, wielding a knife. It all happened so fast that the couple couldn’t even register the danger before the attacker lunged at Dharmesh. After stabbing him once, the attacker attempted to assault Ravina as well. In a desperate act of protection, Dharmesh jumped in front of his wife, trying to shield her from the violence. But this brave effort cost him his life — he was stabbed again, fell to the ground, and bled heavily before collapsing. The assailant then fled the scene.

This wasn't the first time the couple had encountered hostility. People familiar with their situation have revealed that the family, along with Hindu friends who had visited them, had repeatedly faced racial and Hinduphobic harassment from their elderly white neighbor. The pattern of abuse had been going on for some time, but nobody could have imagined that it would escalate to murder.

Even as Dharmesh had recently married and appeared to be settling into family life, it is not fully clear whether his wife Ravina was a permanent resident in Canada or had a dependent visa status. What is known is that the community has come together to support the family. Through the crowdfunding campaign, they aim to raise 18,000 Canadian dollars, and so far, over 16,000 dollars have already been raised to help with funeral expenses and support his wife and family during this dark time.

Dharmesh had come to Canada on a student visa in 2019, hoping to carve out a better future for himself. He was currently on a work permit and working as a manager at Milano Pizzeria, a restaurant located on Laurier Street in Rockland, Russell County, Ontario. While it's unclear whether he was at home or returning from work at the time of the incident, the shock and devastation caused by his sudden death has left the community shaken.

As per local media reports, the attack happened around 3 pm on Friday on Lalonde Street. In a report by Canadian news outlet CTV, a photograph was shown of a house with a police cordon blocking its entrance. It is strongly believed that this is the residence where Dharmesh lived and was ultimately murdered.

The mortal remains of Dharmesh Katheeriya are expected to be brought back to his hometown in Surat, where his last rites will likely be performed. For this, the local Indian community in Canada is coming together, raising funds through crowdfunding platforms. However, due to the formalities involved and international coordination, it may take up to a week for his body to reach India. In the meantime, the grief has only deepened — not just in his family but across the diaspora.

There is a growing sentiment that hatred against Indians is rising in Canada, and with it, incidents of racism and hate crimes have increased. Yet, what’s most troubling is that many such incidents go unreported to the police. Because of this lack of formal complaints, these crimes do not make it into official data or media reports, creating the false impression that they are rare. This systemic silence is what allows such dangerous mindsets to persist unchecked.

And in this silence, a promising Gujarati like Dharmesh has lost his life. His dreams of creating a new life in a new land were crushed in one brutal moment. It is important to note that Dharmesh was the only earning member in his family. His sudden and violent death has left the entire household in a state of mourning and economic uncertainty. In response, Gujaratis living in Canada have come forward to help by organizing support and making arrangements to send his body back to India, offering solace to a grieving family now caught between shock and sorrow.

However, despite the clearly reported pattern of hate-filled abuse and harassment, “@OPP_News has not classified this as a hate crime. No Canadian major outlet has mentioned even the possibility of hate crime while reporting this incident. As of now, there has been no statement condemning the attacks from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney, @PierrePoilievre, or @theJagmeetSingh.” These omissions speak volumes. The silence from top Canadian leadership has made the situation even more painful for the community and raised serious questions about the double standards applied to hate crime recognition.

This horrific tragedy fits into a worrying pattern that has been noticed for some time now — violence against Hindu Canadians, their temples, and their community groups is routinely downplayed or dismissed by those responsible for law enforcement. “When perpetrators face minimal consequences, it only emboldens others to commit similar acts of hatred and violence.” The lack of accountability is not just a bureaucratic failure — it puts real lives at risk.

The brutal killing of Dharmesh Kathireeya should not be seen in isolation. It must be a wake-up call for the broader Canadian Hindu community, which has often remained silent or tried to avoid confrontation even when they face blatantly Hinduphobic attacks. The Kathireeya family, like many immigrants, may have chosen to focus on building their life quietly instead of reporting ongoing harassment. Their silence, like that of many others, was a decision made out of fear — a hope that things would improve if they stayed out of trouble. But the violence didn’t stop at words. It ended with a life lost.

A Gujarati who has recently returned from Canada and settled permanently in India shared an experience that adds further context to this narrative: even walking on the road now feels unsafe. “Even if you ask a Canadian for his address, they do not give the same answer, and often one has to face discrimination even at the workplace,” he explained, underlining the daily discrimination faced by Indian immigrants, even outside extreme cases like Dharmesh’s.

Between 2021 and 2024, millions of Indians have travelled to Canada — either on student visas, work permits, or through permanent residency programs. But the situation on the ground seems to be deteriorating. There is growing resentment in Canada towards immigrants, especially towards Indians. In a recent incident, an Indian girl was attacked on a railway platform in Calgary, and what was even more horrifying is that no one came forward to help her.

On social media, videos surface almost weekly showing Indians being mocked, insulted, or told to “go back to India”, whether on the streets or in public places like restaurants. In 2024, a viral video showed an elderly Canadian speaking rudely to an Indian man, which attracted more than a million views. These instances reflect a societal shift, where immigration has now become one of the central issues in Canadian politics, pushing narratives that vilify the very people who came there seeking safety and opportunity.

But this specific tragedy — the brutal murder of Dharmesh Katheeriya — underscores one glaring truth: there is an urgent need to document and report every racial slur, every act of intimidation, and every instance of hate. If these signs are ignored, they may escalate into fatal incidents. “The continued downplaying of violence against Hindu Canadians by law enforcement and mainstream media sends a dangerous message that it is OK to target SOME type of individuals and communities.”

Government steps in

As outrage continues to grow, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has stepped forward and contacted External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, urging him to initiate a proper and thorough investigation. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is now actively involved, assisting Dharmesh’s family in ensuring that justice is served and that his body is respectfully brought back to India.

In a statement posted online, the Indian Embassy in Canada expressed its condolences. “We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of an Indian national in Rockland near Ottawa, due to stabbing. Police have stated a suspect has been taken into custody. We are in close contact through a local community association to provide all possible assistance to the bereaved kin.” The Embassy's message, though somber, brings some comfort in knowing that the Indian government is not turning a blind eye to the tragedy.