The death of Lethbridge College student Jiwanjyot (J.J.) Ghai over the weekend in Coalhurst is a tragic one, especially for a community that’s not known for such violence.
Ghai was stabbed outside of the Coalhurst community centre Saturday night after the annual Diwali, Festival of Lights, which nearly 300 people reportedly attended.
This is a brutal crime on any day, let alone in a small town like Coalhurst, and being so close to the college that many students call home. Ghai first attended LC to learn English.
The truth is gruesome murders like these happen in communities across Canada every day, robbing families of innocent lives and what for? Nothing ever got solved by taking another life that mattered to someone.
There was still blood spatter in the snow on Sunday morning as the community centre was turned into a crime scene. It’s a scene straight from crime T.V shows that has become just too common for comfort.
The difference is that CSI and Criminal Minds are fictional. This was a real human being and a real life. I guess the point I’m trying to make is that as a community we all need to be vigilante. Even in our little-big city things happen.
Police and the media have been able to quickly release details about the suspect, 26-year-old Harpal Singh Dhillon, who was seen fleeing the scene in a silver or gold car with the Alberta license plate number: PLE 422.
A nation-wide warrant has been issued for Dhillon’s arrest. He is suspected to be in the Calgary area.
Crimes like these are horrific ones that shake communities and families alike. As members of this community, even if you are a post-secondary student who isn’t from Lethbridge, it takes everyone working together to keep the town and the people in it safe.
Always be on the lookout. The quicker police know details about suspects and the crime itself, the quicker the suspects are taken off the streets and prevented from harming someone else.
On that note, let me go true journalist on you. If you know anything about the crime or about Dhillon’s whereabouts, call Lethbridge Police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8427.