Opinion piece by Pooja Mathuria
8th April 2025 – The following is the first hand account of this unfortunate incident as it happened from someone who was in touch with Dharmesh’s close circle.
Our worst fears have come true YET AGAIN. An innocent and a promising young life was forcibly taken away way too soon because of unjustifiable and unforgivable hatred. This time, it happened in the most gruesome way possible. Dharmesh Kathiriya, a young man of 26 years came as an International Student from India to Canada in 2019 with hopes of getting a good education and a job and getting to live the Canadian Dream. He was a bright and a hardworking young man who worked as a Manager at a Pizza Store in Clarence,Rockland, a sleepy town east of Ottawa and had recently married a year and a half ago. His wife, Ravina, had joined him to be with him in Canada just a year ago and Dharmesh built a little life together full of dreams of getting a decent livelihood and earning a better life for themselves.
But all that was abruptly cut short on April 4, 2025. Giles Martel, a senior white guy, reported to 83-year-old who was also their neighbour next door came charging at him right at the entrance of his house with a knife and started attacking him brutally. Hearing the scuffle, his wife who was in the house at the time of the incident ran out to see what was going on, until the white guy made an attempt to push him and go after her as well.
Sensing that his wife was in harm’s way, Dharmesh stood across the door desperately trying to protect her from getting attacked and as a result ended up taking the fatal knife stabs on his chest. The assailant was on the run immediately after he committed the crime. Terribly shocked and confused at what they had just witnessed, both husband and wife ran out on the streets to call for help. The wife made endless cries and pleas for help by desperately trying to get attention from people on the streets.
But Dharmesh was not that lucky. He collapsed after managing to trod a few steps just outside his house. His only Crime- HE WAS AN INDIAN residing in Canada.
An interrogation of his close friend revealed that the perpetrator was a known racist and would often hurl vile racist slurs and abuses to him and his wife whenever he saw them in their laundry room or common area that they shared. There were many incidences of him deliberately playing loud music on his system or T.V just to harass the couple when they were home.
Dharmesh’s friend had parked his car outside his residence and asked him to lock after it as he was on a vacation to India. Upon learning about another car being on the premises, the culprit alleged that perhaps it was a stolen one that Dharmesh brought here and made an offensive stereotypical comment that Indians were responsible and involved in most carjackings here in Canada and that they were the reason Law and Order was a serious problem in the country -both completely vague, unfounded and racially profiling statements made in ignorance by the perpetrator of this heinous crime.
What is further shocking is that neither the Ambulance nor Victim Services arrived at the Crime Scene in a timely manner which could have perhaps saved his life. His wife who was understandably in severe distress and visibly shaken and venting her obvious frustration at not being given timely medical help was rudely told by the local investigating police officer that had she made this request politely they would have responded to her in a proper manner and she should behave calmly which was very rude towards a young woman who just lost her husband in a violent crime in front of her eyes.
The autopsy has revealed his cause of death as-Bleeding due to Stabbing wounds to the heart.
Further information reveals that Dharmesh was the oldest among his siblings and the sole breadwinner who came from a modest family back home in India and had worked very hard to gather resources to come to Canada, only to be met by an extremely cruel twist of fate, something neither he nor his wife would have thought about in the wildest of their dreams. Dharmesh was the only financial support for his family back home in India. But all that now remains are his fond memories and shattered dreams of 3 families – the one he built here with his wife and both of their respective families back home in India.
This gruesome murder reveals an important underlying concern that all people of India or Indian Origin in Canada need to urgently address- NEVER TAKE RACISM IN ANY FORM LIGHTLY. If you ever feel you are being unfairly targeted because of your national origin, religion, background or colour, please do not hesitate to escalate the matter in a documented manner with the concerned authorities, law enforcement or provincial and federal government if necessary. Please Do NOT remain silent. Dharmesh paid a heavy price for keeping quiet and enduring racist attacks on him since quite some time only to meet with a horrible fate in the end. Om Shanti to his departed soul and may his family and we on behalf of COHHE pray that his loved ones back home in India gather the strength and courage to face this unsurmountable loss.
Pooja Mathuria is a Board member at CoHHE (Canadian Organization for Hindu Heritage Education)
Picture Credit – CoHNA Canada
