Toronto: Consulate General of India in Toronto, Canada on December 25(Thursday) expressed anguish over the killing of an Indian student in a shooting incident near the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. Issuing a statement on X, the Consulate said it is providing necessary assistance to the deceased’s family. “We express deep anguish over the tragic death of a young Indian doctoral student, Mr. Shivank Avasthi, in a fatal shooting incident near the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. The Consulate is in touch with the bereaved family during this difficult time and is extending all necessary assistance in close coordination with the local authorities”, the Consulate General said.
We express deep anguish over the tragic death of a young Indian doctoral student, Mr. Shivank Avasthi, in a fatal shooting incident near the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. The Consulate is in touch with the bereaved family during this difficult time, and is extending…
— IndiainToronto (@IndiainToronto) December 25, 2025
Earlier, the Toronto Police said Shivank Avasthi was gunned down in the Highland Creek Trail and Old Kingston Road area. The police rushed to the spot, finding the victim with a gunshot wound before he was pronounced dead at the scene, the Toronto Sun reported. Police officials said the suspects fled the scene before police arrived. The campus was locked down during the probe. According to the Toronto Sun, this was Toronto’s 41st homicide of the year. Earlier, Toronto Police said a 30-year-old Indian-origin woman was found murdered in the city and that a Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued for a suspect who was known to the victim.
The deceased was identified as Himanshi Khurana, a resident of Toronto. Police said they are searching for Abdul Ghafoori (32), also of Toronto, in connection with the case. India’s Consulate in Toronto expressed deep shock and sorrow over the murder of Himanshi Khurana. In a post shared on X, the Consulate said it was “deeply saddened and shocked by the murder of. Himanshi Khurana, a young Indian national, in Toronto” and extended its “deepest condolences to her bereaved family during this moment of profound grief”. It has been in close touch with the matter over the past few days and added that all possible assistance is being extended to the family in close coordination with local authorities as the investigation continues.
Concerns over growing anti-Indian sentiments in Canada
Canadian journalist Daniel Bordman highlighted concerns over a growing culture of anti-Indian sentiment in the country following the deaths of two Indian students in Canada within a span of one week. Speaking to ANI on the murders, Broadman criticised the handling of such cases by local authorities, expressing scepticism about the police investigation and accusing Canadian law enforcement of incompetence in serious crimes while being overly aggressive in other matters. “There’s a rising culture of anti-Indian sentiment being pushed by a lot of different factors, some of which you’re familiar with in India”, Bordman said.
He noted that the two murders are likely unrelated, as they occurred in different provinces, separated by more than a day’s drive. “The two murders are probably not connected because they’re in different provinces, more than a day’s drive away from each other. So for the most recent murder in Toronto, we just know the name of the victim and that he was shot dead. We don’t know why, who, what, when or how. This most recent murder – the public knows next to nothing about it other than that there is a murder. If you’re wondering what the police are doing, they’re probably looking into it, but this is Canadian police. So I expect extreme incompetence”, the Journalist said.
“And if this was a mean comment online about a government official that was not white, the person might be in jail for 50 years, but this is just a murder. So this is not that serious to the Toronto police. They will fumble it. And if they don’t manage to fumble it and they find the responsible party, they will be put in jail for maybe a maximum of three years before being let out to rampage the streets again”, he added. His remarks come at a time of heightened concern over the safety of Indians in Canada following the murder of two Indians within a span of one week.
(With Inputs from ANI)
