Indian assaulted in NZ; told to go back to his country

Melbourne, Mar 6: An Indian national in New Zealand was assaulted, subjected to a racist tirade and told to go back to his own country during a road rage incident in Auckland, a media report said today. Narindervir Singh said he was filming from inside his vehicle when the incident happened on a weekday last week.

"I gave him a space... that lady gave me the finger. He was driving that car [pointing to a white Holden] and now he's trying to threaten me, giving me bad names," Singh says in a video which was being streamed live onto Facebook. After Singh informed the driver that he's uploading the video live, the situation escalated and Singh was abused, sworn at and told to go back to his own country.

The abuser, who is seen in video wearing a grey Everlast t-shirt, was tail-gating according to Singh, who says he simply pulled over to let him pass. The man also made derogatory remarks about Punjabi people, Newshub reported. As Singh drove off, the abuser exposed himself. "It really shocked me and after he [left], I was really shaken," Newshub quoted Singh as saying.

"I don't know what to do, it really hurts my heart...The first thing in my mind was that he might hurt me with some weapon." When Singh left, he assumed it was all over. But when he parked on a nearby side street, he says the white Holden pulled up once again and the racist rant, including the n word, continued. Another man, Bikramjit Singh, suffered similar abuse last week as he left a Papatoetoe storage facility.

A man who claimed Bikramjit was speeding yelled at him, saying: "Go back to your country - slow down! You know what the speed limit is here." Bikramjit says he wasn't speeding, is a New Zealand citizen and has lived here for more than a decade. The man who hurled abuse in that case ended up apologising in an email, blaming two alcohol beverages he'd consumed earlier that day.

But those who work with migrants say such discrimination does appear to be increasing. "We are seeing it much more openly which is a very serious concern," said Anu Kaloti from the Migrant Workers Association. "I think societies are becoming more and more intolerant, especially since (Donald) Trump was elected President of the US." Both men have filed complaints with police.

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5 facts about 24-year-old Indian student shot dead inside his Audi in Canada

News Network

April 14,2024

New Delhi: A 24-year-old student from India was shot dead inside a car in Canada's South Vancouver, the local police have said. The Vancouver Police in a statement said Chirag Antil, 24, was found dead inside a vehicle in the area after neighbours reported hearing gunshots.

"Officers were called to East 55th Avenue and Main Street around 11 pm on April 12 after residents heard the sound of gunshots. Chirag Antil, 24, was found deceased inside a vehicle in the area. No arrests have been made, and the investigation remains ongoing," the police said.

Chirag Antil's brother Ronit told reporters that Chirag seemed happy when they spoke on the phone in morning. Chirag later took out his Audi to go somewhere. That was when he was shot dead.

The Congress students' wing National Students' Union of India chief Varun Choudhary in a post on X tagging the Ministry of External Affairs requested for assistance to the student's family.

"Urgent attention regarding the murder of Chirag Antil, an Indian student in Vancouver, Canada. We urge the Ministry of External Affairs to closely monitor the progress of the investigation and ensure that justice is swiftly served," Mr Choudhary said.

"Additionally, we request the ministry to extend all necessary support and assistance to the family of the deceased during this difficult time," he said.

Chirag Antil's family is raising money through the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe to repatriate his body to India, local media reported.

Haryana resident Romit Antil, the brother of Chirag Antil, told CityNews that he was a kind-hearted person.

"My brother and I had a great relationship. We used to talk every day, day and night. I spoke to him last before the accident happened. He was kind of happy, he never had any issues or fights with anyone, ever. He was an extremely polite person," Romit Antil told CityNews.

Chirag Antil came to Vancouver in September 2022. He just finished MBA at University Canada West, and recently got his work permit.

Here are 5 facts about Chirag Antil

1.   Chirag Antil was a resident of Sonipat, Haryana.
2.   He was the youngest son of Mahavir Antil, a retired employee of the Sugar Mill Department of the Haryana Government.
3.   Chirag moved to Vancouver in 2022 to pursue higher studies at the University Canada West (UCW), in British Columbia.
4.   After completing his MBA, he started working at a company in Canada after getting a work permit.
5.   Chirag's brother Ronit shared in an interview that his younger sibling was a "kind-hearted" person. "I spoke to him last before the accident happened," he said and added that Chirag sounded "happy".

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