By Surbhi Gogia
SURREY: Harpreet Kaur Gill, a 40-year-old mother of three kids, was brutally killed in her Surrey residence allegedly by her husband Navinder Gill in December 2022. The police laid second-degree murder charges on the husband and the case is before the court.
The reason for the murder has not yet been made official, but according to community organizations and media reports, it was a case of domestic violence. A GoFundMe Page was created to raise funds to arrange for Harpreet’s parents’ to travel cost from India to Canada and pay for her funeral.
Baljinder Kaur, a community volunteer, who is part of Hope Seva Society, arranged the fundraiser. Baljinder has also organized a Candle light vigil in memory of Harpreet this week at the corner of 72 avenue and Scott Road in Surrey to raise awareness about the prevalent issue of domestic violence. Baljinder’s society works to help new immigrants settle in Canada.
She says Harpreet’s parents, who have already arrived in Canada from Uttarakhand, want justice for their daughter. “A second-degree murder charge was laid on the husband which means he will be out in a few years. The parents are not satisfied. They want a first-degree charge. They will never get their daughter back. Harpreet’s parents are also concerned about the future of their grandchildren and want to seek legal advice regarding their custody.”
Baljinder, who interacts with the community women every day, says, Harpreet’s tragic story is just a small part of the larger problem of domestic violence. “I meet women suffering and crying in our community every day. Some women suffer in silence.”
Discussing different cases where women have become the victim in abusive relationships due to various reasons, she says the most common reason is our cultural upbringing. Financial dependence coupled with inherent beliefs that once a girl is married, she needs to stay in the marriage life long even if it is abusive. “The women most of the time do not get support from their parents and families due to the stigma attached to separation. Our community does not speak up, women get scared.”
She says that there is a need to organize more seminars and workshops to spread awareness about local resources and support available to them.
Baljinder informed that her organization is preparing an online petition to demand more stringent actions on the government and police’s part if they come across a case of domestic violence. “Currently if there is a case of domestic violence, when not taken seriously, the culprit roams free just with a warning. It needs to be taken more seriously,” she says.
While talking to The Link newspaper, Surrey RCMP media relations officer Constable Sarbjit Sangha did not agree with Baljinder’s statement. Officer Sangha said, “Yes domestic violence also called intimate partner violence is an issue in the South Asian community. But I would disagree that we do not take serious actions.”
We have a unit assigned to deal with intimate partner violence files. “Depending on the evidence available at the time of scene we will do an investigation. If an arrest needs to be made, an arrest is made. Our focus goes beyond arrests and we work at various levels with both the victims and the offenders. We work with various organizations like women’s rights and advocacy groups, women’s shelters etc to support the victim.”
She said the police also work with the offenders to see if they were following the conditions. “We also educate the offender to be positive in the relationship if both the partners want to continue the relation.”
Sangha feels sometimes lack of support from the families forces women in the South Asian community to stay in an abusive relationship. “Our daughters are told to stay with their husbands for the rest of their life once they get married.” This, Sangha feels, puts pressure on girls to stay silent and not to reach out for help. Her message to those suffering is, “Suffer no more, raise your voice if you are in an abusive relationship. It is not a life sentence. Please reach out for help.”
She also informs that there are options available if the victims do not want to involve the police. “You can reach out to women’s shelters. Call our non-emergency line and speak to our victim services line.”
