A Punjabi man has died after being stabbed in the neck during an altercation in Mississauga, with his family alleging that the confrontation began after another man was subjected to racist remarks.
The victim has been identified as Jagjit Singh Sandhu. According to his sister, Jaspreet Kaur, the incident occurred on September 6 outside a shelter on Dundas Street East in Mississauga.
Jaspreet alleged that Jagjit became involved after another Punjabi man was confronted by the boyfriend of a woman staying at the shelter. She said the man allegedly directed racist comments at the individual and told him to return to his country.
According to Jaspreet, Jagjit intervened and helped the man leave the situation. An argument then reportedly broke out between Jagjit and the other man.
Jaspreet alleged that during the confrontation, a woman approached Jagjit from behind and stabbed him on the right side of his neck. He suffered severe injuries and was rushed to hospital, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit.
The family said the stabbing damaged major blood vessels in Jagjit’s neck, causing significant blood loss and depriving his brain of oxygen. He was subsequently declared brain dead and later died from his injuries.
The woman accused of carrying out the stabbing reportedly left the scene following the attack.
Family questions response to case
Jaspreet has raised concerns about the handling of the case by Peel Regional Police and local authorities. She alleged that police did not contact the family until three days after the stabbing and that the family struggled to receive responses despite making repeated calls.
She also questioned what she described as limited public attention surrounding her brother’s death and said the circumstances of the attack and Jagjit’s identity had not been adequately reported.
The family has further raised concerns about whether racism played a role in the events leading up to the fatal confrontation. Those allegations have been made by Jagjit’s sister and have not been independently established in the information provided.
Jaspreet said the incident has left her increasingly concerned about the safety of Indian and Punjabi young people in Canada and called for greater accountability from authorities.
She also appealed to members of the Punjabi and Indian communities to stand together against racism and violence, saying her family hopes greater awareness of Jagjit’s case can help prevent another family from experiencing a similar tragedy.
