Kartik Vasudev went to Toronto in January
New Delhi:
“He always said to me, ‘Don’t worry, Canada is very safe,'” Jitesh Vasudev said today, as he spoke of his conversations with his 21-year-old son Kartik, who was shot dead in Toronto.
Kartik Vasudev, a resident of Ghaziabad, moved to Toronto in January. There he followed a management course at Seneca College and also worked part-time.
On Thursday evening, he was shot several times at the entrance of a Toronto subway station while on his way to work, city police said.
An off-duty paramedic visited Kartik and he was then rushed to a hospital, where he succumbed to gunshot wounds, police said.
Speaking to DailyExpertNews, shocked Jitesh Vasudev said Toronto police had informed him yesterday that his son had been shot but added that he had not received any details.
“I lost my son, but I want justice. I want to know what happened to my son, who shot him and what was the motive. He was just a sincere student who went there two months ago. I’m trying to contact to get in touch with Toronto police, but they are not responding,” he said.
Vasudev said the Indian consulate in Canada had told him they are in the process of sending Kartik’s body to India, but it would take about 7-8 days. “I have not received a call or support from the government here. There are a few things I want from the government: to return my son’s body as soon as possible. Second, I want justice, I want to know what happened “Who is to blame is, he must be punished, he must be caught now,” Mr Vasudev said.
He added that it was Kartik’s dream to go to Canada. “Sometimes when I spoke to him, he would come back from work around 1 am. He said to me, ‘It’s very safe, nothing will happen, don’t worry.’ We were very careful and asked him why you are coming so late, and he would say it is a very safe city,” said the heartbroken father.
“It was 4:30 p.m. when he was shot at a metro station in a downtown area. I can’t believe it’s a safe city,” he added.
The Toronto Police Department’s Homicide Division has taken over the investigation into the shooting. Police say the suspect in the shooting is a black man of medium build.
In a statement posted on Twitter, the Consulate General of India said: “We are shocked and alarmed by the unfortunate murder of Indian student Kartik Vasudev in a shooting incident yesterday in Toronto.”
“We are in contact with the family and will provide all possible assistance with the early repatriation of the remains,” the message read.
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar also expressed his condolences. “Saddened by this tragic incident. Deepest condolences to the family,” he tweeted.
