Sikh Student Dies in Canada; 2 Deported for Links to Extortion Network

March

2026

A Sikh student from Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, Gurkirat Manocha, died after being assaulted during a clash between two groups of youths in Canada on 14 Mar. Manocha was pursuing a Business Management Post-Degree Diploma in British Columbia (BC), Canada and had migrated 15 months ago. The family first came to know about the incident through other Indian students who contacted them on social media and later confirmed the information. Additionally, two men from Panjab, allegedly linked to a violent extortion network targeting South Asian businesses in Edmonton, Canada, have been deported. Arshdeep Singh was on a study permit from 2022 was deported on 19 Jan 2026, while Sukhnaaz Singh Sandhu who had been in Canada since 2016 and was previously linked to the Ruffians gang in Surrey, BC, was sent back on 3 Feb 2026. Both had been detained in Nov 2025 and were later found inadmissible by the Immigration and Refugee Board for membership in a criminal organization involved in extortion, arson, drug trafficking, and firearm offences. A nationwide crackdown has led to 35 deportations since August 2025. Meanwhile, a 32-year-old Sikh from Raikot, Ludhiana district was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Spain. The deceased, identified as Arshdeep Singh, had gone to Spain around eight years ago and had been working in a factory for over five years. Meanwhile, the Panjab police have registered a criminal case against Sikh preacher and former Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) president Baljit Singh Daduwal days after a clash following a religious ceremony in Shergarh village, Patiala district. The complaint, by current HSGMC chief Jagdish Singh Jhinda, alleges that following a bhog (prayers) ceremony on 17 Mar, Daduwal, along with seven associates, followed his vehicle for 10–12 km and attempted to assault him near Arno village on the Kaithal road, Haryana. On 21 Mar, Daduwal also attempted to take over the Miri Piri Institute of Medical Sciences & Research, Shahbad, Haryana but HSGMC members chased him away. Simultaneously, the Supreme Court of India refused to consider a plea seeking a direction to declare the 10^th Sikh Sovereign Guru Gobind Singh’s birth anniversary a national holiday saying there were already too many holidays (earlier coverage).