Indian-origin businessman beaten to death in Canada: The chilling rise of racist and violent attacks on Indians in Canada

A 55-year-old Canadian-Indian businessman, Arvi Singh Sagoo, was attacked viciously by a stranger in Edmonton, Canada, after he confronted the latter for peeing on his vehicle. The shocking attack occurred on 19th October, and Arvi died five days later, on 24th October.

According to Global News, Arvi had gone out for dinner with his girlfriend that night. When they came back to their car early the next morning, they saw a man pissing on it. “Hey, what are you doing?” Arvi asked the stranger, as his brother later told the media. The man reportedly replied, “Whatever I want,” before walking up to Arvi and punching him hard in the head.

Arvi collapsed on the ground, unconscious. His girlfriend immediately called 911 for help. Paramedics arrived within minutes and rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was placed on life support. Sadly, despite doctors’ efforts, he died on October 24.

Police later identified and arrested 40-year-old Kyle Papin, charging him with aggravated assault. Edmonton police confirmed that Papin did not know Arvi and that the attack appeared to be random and unprovoked.

Fundraiser launched for his children

One of Arvi’s close friends, Vincent Ram, launched a fundraiser to support his two children. “This fundraiser aims to ensure that Arvi’s kids have the resources and support they need during this difficult time,” the campaign description reads. The funds will be used for funeral expenses, daily needs, and to create a foundation for the children’s education and future.

“This isn’t just about financial help,” the post continues. “It’s about showing that the community stands with them as they face life without their father. Please keep Arvi and his family in your prayers.”

Another Indian businessman was murdered in Canada

Just days before Arvi’s killing, another Indian-origin businessman, 68-year-old Darshan Singh Sahsi, was murdered on Monday morning (27th October) in front of his home in Abbotsford, B.C., Canada. TheLawrence Bishnoi gang took responsibility for the murder. Sahsi was shot dead while sitting inside his pick-up truck by an unidentified assailant.

A CCTV footage of the incident showed the 68-year-old businessman getting into his pick-up truck, and seconds later, a masked man got out of a silver sedan parked nearby and walked to Sahsi’s truck. The masked man aimed a gun at the driver’s side window of the truck and fired multiple shots through the closed window. He ran back to the sedan and drove away. The entire incident happened within a few seconds. The team of Police that arrived at the scene found Sahsi in a critical condition. 

Subsequently, Goldy Dhillon, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, admitted that the Ludhiana-born businessman was killed by the gang as he was involved in the drug trade and refused to give them money.

Sahsi, who hailed from Rajgarh village in Ludhiana district of Punjab. He moved to Canada in 1991 and worked odd jobs for some time. Later, he bought the stakes in a dwindling textile recycling unit, Canam International, and revived it into an international company.

Punjabi singer Teji Kahlon was shot earlier this month

Just days earlier, three men identifying themselves as gangster Rohit Godara’s aides uploaded a video confessing to shooting Punjabi singer Teji Kahlon in the stomach.

In a post on social media, the associates of the Godara gang claimed that Kahlon was supplying arms and was conspiring to attack their gang.

Taking to Facebook, Godara members named as Mahender Saran Dilana, Rahul Rinau, and Vicky Phalwan claimed Kahlon was injured in the shooting. “We carried out the shooting in Canada at Teji Kahlon. He was shot in the stomach. If he understands, fine; if not, next time we will finish him,” they said.

Bullet kills an Indian student in Canada

On 25th April this year, Mohawk College student Harsimrat Randhawa, 21 years old, was killed at a bus stop. She was an innocent bystander in a shoot-out between two cars, a black Mercedes SUV and a white car. She was shot in the chest by one of them, and she died on the spot despite attempts by paramedics.

Randhawa had arrived in Canada with hopes and aspirations. Her killing put the Indian student community in Canada in a state of shock and raised concerns about public safety.

Security guard shot Dead in Edmonton

In December 2024, 20-year-old Indian student Harshandeep Singh was gunned down and murdered while employed as a security guard in Edmonton, Canada. Singh was discovered dead in a stairwell after three people attacked him and shot him, and the two suspects have since been charged with first-degree murder.

A CCTV video of the incident depicts three individuals harassing and pushing the 20-year-old student downstairs, with one of them shooting him from behind.

Immediately after shooting Singh with what seems to be a humongous weapon, the three culprits leave the scene.

Stabbed to death at his own house: Gurasis Singh case

In another such incident, 22-year-old Gurasis Singh was stabbed to death in hisrented apartment in Sarnia, Ontario, on 1st December 2024. Singh had been in Canada for four months, seeking higher education, when he was murdered.

The assault occurred during the early morning hours and was said to have begun as a fight with a neighbour. But Gurasis’ father is convinced his son was attacked in his sleep. The alleged perpetrator, 36-year-old Crossley Hunter, has been charged with second-degree murder. The Sarnia police say the stabbing occurred in the kitchen of the residence where Gurasis resided.

Surge in hate crimes against Indian-origin people in Canada

These back-to-back attacks are indicative of a concerning trend. In recent years, hate crimes and targeted violence against South Asian, specifically Indian-origin, communities all over Canada have seen a steep increase.

Hate crimes against South Asians in Canada rose by 227% between 2019 and 2023, reports a recent study by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), a London-based think tank that tracks extremism and hate. The report also discovered that the deployment of anti-Indian and anti-South Asian slurs on social media increased by a whopping 1,350% over the same four years.

Between May 2023 and April 2025, over 26,600 posts on social media platforms contained anti-Indian hate speech, including derogatory slurs like “pajeet.” These numbers were far higher than posts targeting any other ethnic community in the country.

The ISD report also said that hateful content online often portrays Indians as “dirty,” “dangerous,” or “unskilled.” In recent years, this anti-Indian rhetoric has intensified, particularly during political debates and elections, with extremist groups using it to stoke division.

Between 1st March and 20th April, 2025, in the lead-up to Canada’s federal election, more than 2,300 posts spreading anti-South Asian hate were shared online, generating over 1.2 million engagements. The rise in hate speech has not only led to online harassment but also coincided with real-world violence targeting immigrants from India and neighbouring countries.

The ISD report identified Diagolon, a far-right extremist network formed in 2020, as a key source of this online hate. The group, led by Jeremy MacKenzie, promotes racist, anti-government conspiracy theories often masked as “jokes” or satire to avoid accountability. These narratives, experts say, are fueling prejudice and radicalisation in Canadian society.