Tragedies put a spanner in foreign dreams

Tribune News Service

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, May 31

A spate of deaths or murders in May, of people who are already abroad or want to go there, in the region, has created the need to be circumspect over foreign aspirations. Dreams of greener pastures abroad claimed the lives of at least five people in the month of May alone.

At least three youths died in shootings in US in May. Another man and his mother-in-law died in close succession in India, after the man’s US dreams soured since he was deported.

Spate of killings abroad

• On May 4, brothers Dilraj Pal Singh (32) and Guriqbal Singh (26), hailing from Bidhipur in Sultanpur Lodhi, were shot in Portland, US, by their own associates after a feud over the ownership of a store
• On May 5, Navjot Singh (30) hailing from Jalal Bhulana village in Kapurthala, was gunned down by robbers at a petrol station in Washington, where he was working. He went to the US in April 2022
• In January, Sukhwinder Singh (53), hailing from Tandi Dakhli village in Kapurthala, was run over by a car in Fresno, California, while on his way back after having a meal. A truck driver, he had gone to the US in 2011
• In September 2022, Parambir Singh (32), hailing from Dhapai village in Kapurthala district, was murdered by a masked robber who attacked his store in Mississippi

In close succession, on May 4 and 5, three deaths took place. On May 4, two Sultanpur Lodhi-based real brothers, Dilraj Singh and Guriqbal Singh, were shot dead in a shooting in Portland; on May 5, a Kapurthala-based youth Navjot Singh was shot dead by robbers at a petrol station where he was working; Sultanpur Lodhi resident Balwinder Singh died of suspected suicide, day after the murder of his mother-in-law on May 19.

The twin deaths (of Balwinder and his mother-in-law) came close on the heels of Balwinder’s US dreams souring after his wife gained access to the US but he was deported back to India.

In January this year too, a Kapurthala man had died after being run over by a car in Fresno, California.

These deaths don’t include other accidental deaths of Indians in the US.

On May 10, a Boparai (Kapurthala) father-son duo was also killed in an accident in Fresno, US while they were heading for a party to celebrate the completion of the son’s medical education.

Kapurthala-based advocate Kulwant Singh said, “There is an unprecedented craze among people to go abroad. There are families whose only kids have died after going to the US in accidents or shootings. Yet relatives do not learn a lesson. People are ready to send children abroad by hook or by crook and while knowing they might be going through the perilous ‘donkey’ routes. On the other hand, there is an increased mental health crisis among those who don’t make it. This is giving way to anxiety and depression among the young. There is also gloom among those who are sent back after spending hard-earned money and staying months in camps.”

Former president of the NRI Sabha, Jasvir Singh Gill said, “The government should check the credentials of those going abroad and parents should educate kids to act sensibly. Increasingly, youths are heading abroad in a mad rush, not knowing what to do there. Some are forming gangs. The NRI Sabha earlier took up those cases but it’s being rendered defunct, so no one is left to raise these issues. We had even sought CBI help in some cases. The government needs to extradite hardened criminals wanted in India, so a growing problem doesn’t fester into an out-of-hand situation.”

About The Author

Tribune News Service

The Tribune News Service brings you the latest news, analysis and insights from the region, India and around the world. Follow the Tribune News Service for a wide-ranging coverage of events as they unfold, with perspective and clarity.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.