INDIAN STUDENT SHOT DEAD IN CANADA, EAM EXPRESSES CONDOLENCES

TORONTO/GHAZIABAD: A 21-year-old Indian student was shot dead by an unidentified man at the entrance of a subway station in Toronto, Canada while he was on his way to work, police said.

The victim, 21-year-old Kartik Vasudev, was studying management at Seneca College in the city. The incident occurred at approximately 5pm on Thursday as police responded to a call about a shooting.

Police has sought the assistance of any witnesses as it investigates the murder. The young student was found shot near an entrance to the Sherbourne station of the Toronto Transit Corporation. An off-duty paramedic gave him medical treatment but Vasudev did not survive.

The murder occurred during rush hour in downtown Toronto, a short distance from the building housing the Indian Consulate. The consulate said it was “shocked & distressed at the unfortunate killing of Indian student Kartik Vasudev in a shooting incident”.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar condoled Vasudev’s death in a post on Twitter. “Grieved by this tragic incident. Deepest condolences to the family,” he said.

Vasudev’s family members said that the authorities have informed them that the body may take up to a week’s time to arrive due to procedures that need to be followed.

They said that he had left for Canada on January 4 this year to pursue an MBA in international marketing and has been working at the restaurant for a fortnight.

“We are trying to seek more details from the authorities in Toronto. We don’t have details about the tragic incident and all that we know is that he was shot dead while he was on his way to the restaurant,” said a crestfallen Ritesh Vasudev, Kartik’s father.

With inputs from HTC & agencies