Jaswinder Kaur Sidhu
Encyclopedia
Jaswinder Kaur Sidhu, also known as Jassi (August 4, 1975 - June 8, 2000) was a Sikh
beautician in Maple Ridge, British Columbia
, Canada
, who was the victim of an honor killing
. She was kidnapped, tortured, and killed on the orders of her mother, Malkiat Kaur and her uncle, Surjit Singh Badesha, near Kaonke Khosa, Ludhiana, Punjab
, India
.
, Ludhiana in the Punjab state of India in December 1994, Jassi met and fell in love with Sukhwinder Singh Sidhu (nicknamed Mithu), a Rickshaw driver. They kept in touch over the next four years. In 1999, Jassi made another trip to India with her family. This trip was for the purpose of arranging a marriage for her. Instead, she and Sukhwinder married secretly on March 15, 1999. Her family strongly disapproved of this marriage, supposedly because he was of a lower caste than her, and attempted to persuade her to get a divorce by beating her and offering to buy her a car.. When those attempts were futile, her family persuaded her to sign a form, falsely telling her that by signing, they will help Sukhwinder come to Canada. Instead, the form was filled with accusations against Sukhwinder. When Jassi discovered that she had been betrayed, she faxed a letter to the Indian Officials stating that the accusations in the form sent earlier were false.
to India to stand trial, but the extradition has been stonewalled by Canadian and British Columbia
authorities. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
, Canadian Foreign Affairs and the Department of Justice will only say that the file remains active. Former British Columbia Attorney General
Geoff Plant
, when interviewed by an NBC
reporter, had little to say about the case.
Sukhwinder was accused of rape in August, 2004 and was incarcerated in the Ludhiana Central Jail for four years until he was acquitted. The woman who made the accusation is connected to Jassi's family. After his acquittal, Sukhwinder was elected panch of Kaunke Khosa.
The story of Jassi and Sukhwinder is the subject of Murder Unveiled
, a made-for-TV movie.
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
beautician in Maple Ridge, British Columbia
Maple Ridge, British Columbia
Maple Ridge is a District Municipality in British Columbia, located in the northeastern section of Metro Vancouver. Maple Ridge has a population of approximately 68,949.-History:...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, who was the victim of an honor killing
Honor killing
An honor killing or honour killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief of the perpetrators that the victim has brought dishonor upon the family or community...
. She was kidnapped, tortured, and killed on the orders of her mother, Malkiat Kaur and her uncle, Surjit Singh Badesha, near Kaonke Khosa, Ludhiana, Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Background
On a visit to the city of JagraonJagraon
Jagraon is a city and a municipal council in the Ludhiana district in the Indian state of Punjab. Jagraon is more than three centuries old. It has been thought by some that the city's original name was Jagar aon, meaning A place of great flooding, although this flooding has since ceased...
, Ludhiana in the Punjab state of India in December 1994, Jassi met and fell in love with Sukhwinder Singh Sidhu (nicknamed Mithu), a Rickshaw driver. They kept in touch over the next four years. In 1999, Jassi made another trip to India with her family. This trip was for the purpose of arranging a marriage for her. Instead, she and Sukhwinder married secretly on March 15, 1999. Her family strongly disapproved of this marriage, supposedly because he was of a lower caste than her, and attempted to persuade her to get a divorce by beating her and offering to buy her a car.. When those attempts were futile, her family persuaded her to sign a form, falsely telling her that by signing, they will help Sukhwinder come to Canada. Instead, the form was filled with accusations against Sukhwinder. When Jassi discovered that she had been betrayed, she faxed a letter to the Indian Officials stating that the accusations in the form sent earlier were false.
Kidnapping and murder
Jassi escaped from her family confinement with help from the RCMP, who escorted her from the residence. She got money from a friend to buy a plane ticket, and flew to India on May 12, 2000, to reunite with Sukhwinder. On June 8, Jassi and Sukhwinder were kidnapped by killers hired by her uncle. Sukhwinder was violently beaten and left to die, while Jassi was taken to an abandoned farmhouse where she was brutally murdered. On June 9, 2000, her body, with the throat slit, was found dumped in an irrigation canal 45 km from Kaonke Khosa. The killers were in contact with Kaur and Badesha by phone, and it was determined by Indian Police that Kaur gave the order to kill Jassi.Trial
Seven of the killers were tried and convicted, the result of an aggressive investigation by Inspector Swaran Singh. Attempts have been made to extradite Kaur and Badesha from CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to India to stand trial, but the extradition has been stonewalled by Canadian and British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
authorities. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
, Canadian Foreign Affairs and the Department of Justice will only say that the file remains active. Former British Columbia Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
Geoff Plant
Geoff Plant
Geoff Plant, QC is a British Columbia lawyer and retired politician known for his interest in citizen's legal and electoral rights and aboriginal rights....
, when interviewed by an NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
reporter, had little to say about the case.
Sukhwinder was accused of rape in August, 2004 and was incarcerated in the Ludhiana Central Jail for four years until he was acquitted. The woman who made the accusation is connected to Jassi's family. After his acquittal, Sukhwinder was elected panch of Kaunke Khosa.
The story of Jassi and Sukhwinder is the subject of Murder Unveiled
Murder Unveiled
Murder Unveiled is a 2005 Canadian television movie. The movie is based on the true story of the Jaswinder Kaur Sidhu murder. First Aired on CBC February 6, 2006....
, a made-for-TV movie.
External links
- Murder Unveiled The movie based on her life.
- Forbidden Love Triggers Outrage Article in South Asian Post
- Crusade to Free Innocent Man Efforts to free Jassi's husband Mithu from jail
- Jassi's killers seek freedom Article in Asian Pacific Post