‘It has been 15 days’: Family of Indian student killed in Canada seeks body for last rites

THe fellowship of a 22-year-old amerindic pupil, who was stabbed to demise in Canada, has appealed to the authorities to bring her body back home at the earliest so they can perform her last rites.Vidhi Megha, a resident of Borsad in Gujarat’s Anand district, was killed in St. Catharines near Niagara on May 15 after she was allegedly attacked by an unidentified person in broad daylight.Her father Kalpeshbhai Megha said his daughter was stabbed with a knife and succumbed to her injuries despite attempts by bystanders to save her.ALSO READ | Indian-origin woman shot dead inside US supermarket; attack caught on cam“She was attacked with a knife and injured. Someone tried to defend her, but she was stabbed and died,” he told news agency ANI.“My only request to the government is that I want my daughter’s last rites to be performed in India, so her body should be brought here as soon as possible,” he said. He added that the family has not yet received any response from authorities. Kalpeshbhai Megha said he was informed about his daughter’s death by local police officials in Canada, after which relatives there initiated the formal procedures. “I received information from the police station. I contacted my relatives there by mail, and they started all the necessary procedures,” he said.The family has also alleged delays and lack of cooperation from authorities in Canada. Vidhi’s aunt Snehal said the family had still not been able to see her body nearly two weeks after the incident.ALSO READ | Indian man shot at Israel border was victim of job scam, alleges family“It has been almost 15 days now, we have not been able to have a look at her body. I request the Government to complete the procedure as soon as possible and hand over her body to us. The Government and Police there are not answering us properly,” she told news agency ANI.“My brother is there and is in touch with everyone but he is getting to know of things only through email. Nobody is cooperating there. I also urge the external affairs minister to take quick action and hand over our Vidhi to us,” she added. Vidhi Megha moved to Canada nearly three years ago for higher education and was also working part-time to manage her expenses. According to her father, she completed a three-year course in Business Management and had later enrolled in a Personal Support Worker (PSW) honours course.“My daughter had gone there to study Business Management. Her three-year course was completed, and then she pursued a PSW honours course. My brother-in-law and her grandparents also live there,” he said.The grieving father also said that local MLA Ramanbhai Solanki visited the family following the incident. Solanki later said he had conveyed the family’s demand for the speedy return of Vidhi’s mortal remains to both the chief minister’s office and the Prime Minister’s office.Canadian police have reportedly launched an investigation into the murder, though officials have not yet disclosed details about the suspect or the motive behind the attack.