In a horrifying act of violence, 27-year-old Dharmesh Kathireeya was brutally murdered on April 4 by his Caucasian neighbor in Clarence-Rockland, near Canada’s capital. The assailant reportedly shouted racial slurs before fatally stabbing Dharmesh.
The assailant also attempted to stab Dharmesh’s wife, but Dharmesh heroically took the blow to protect her. The family, along with their visiting Hindu friends, had previously endured a pattern of Hinduphobic and racial harassment from their elderly white neighbor.
Yet, despite this history of hate-filled abuse, Ontario Provincial Police News has not classified this as a hate crime. No Canadian major outlet has mentioned even the possibility of hate crime while reporting this incident. As of now, there has been no statement condemning the attacks from lawmakers, said Coalition of Hindus of North American (CoHNA) in a Facebook post.
This tragedy is part of a disturbing pattern where violence against Hindu Canadians, their temples, and their organizations is consistently downplayed or dismissed by law enforcement. When perpetrators face minimal consequences, it only emboldens others to commit similar acts of hatred and violence.
The murder of Dharmesh Kathireeya should be a wake-up call for the broader Canadian Hindu community, many of whom self-censor or remain silent in the face of Hinduphobic attacks. Like countless immigrants, the Kathiriya family likely chose to focus on building a better life rather than reporting the ongoing harassment. But this tragedy highlights the urgent need to document and report all instances of racial slurs, intimidation, and hate crimes before they escalate into deadly violence, the post read further.
The continued downplaying of violence against Hindu Canadians by law enforcement and mainstream media sends a dangerous message that it is OK to target SOME type of individuals and communities, CoHNA said.
