‘Deep anguish’: Indian Consulate reacts to Indian student’s killing in Toronto shooting

The Consulate General of India in Toronto on Thursday expressed deep anguish over the killing of an Indian student in a shooting near the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus.

Toronto Police said the victim, identified as Shivank Avasthi, was shot dead on Tuesday in the Highland Creek Trail and Old Kingston Road area. Officers who responded to reports of gunfire found him with a gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspects fled before police arrived, and the campus was briefly placed under lockdown during the investigation.

In a statement posted on X, the Indian Consulate said it was in touch with Avasthi’s family and was providing all necessary assistance in close coordination with local authorities.

“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 statement said.

According to the Toronto Sun, the killing marked Toronto’s 41st homicide of the year and was the second death of an Indian national in the city due to violent crime in recent days.

Earlier this week, Toronto Police said a 30-year-old Indian-origin woman, Himanshi Khurana, was found murdered in the city. Police have issued a Canada-wide arrest warrant for a 32-year-old Toronto man, Abdul Ghafoori, who is known to the victim. Investigators said the case appears to involve intimate partner violence, according to CBC News.

The Indian Consulate also expressed shock and sorrow over Khurana’s death, saying it was extending all possible assistance to her family while remaining in close contact with local authorities as the investigation continues.