Ottawa, April 6, 2025 — A 27-year-old Indian national, Dharmesh Kathireeya, was fatally stabbed in what is being investigated as a suspected hate crime in Rockland, Ontario, a township near Canada’s capital. Kathireeya, originally from Bhavnagar district in Gujarat, had moved to Canada in 2019 as an international student and was currently working on a permit.
The incident occurred Friday afternoon when Kathireeya was exiting a shared laundry room in his residential building. Witnesses said a white male neighbor in his 60s, who had previously hurled racial and anti-Indian slurs at Kathireeya and his wife, attacked him with a knife in an unprovoked assault.
Kathireeya’s wife, who joined him in Canada last year, witnessed the attack. In videos shared by local residents, she can be heard screaming in distress as police apprehended the suspect. The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have taken the alleged attacker into custody, though his identity has not yet been made public.
A fundraiser launched in Kathireeya’s memory described the incident as a “senseless hate crime” that has devastated his family, friends, and the local community. “Dharmesh was taken from us in an unprovoked hate crime and senseless attack by a neighbor,” the message read.
Kathireeya worked as a manager at Milano Pizza Rockland, a nearby restaurant that has now closed temporarily in mourning. The eatery shared on Facebook, “It is with deep sadness that we announce the temporary closure of Milano Pizza… Our beloved manager Dharmesh tragically passed away in a terrible incident.”
India’s High Commission in Ottawa acknowledged the incident on Friday, stating on X (formerly Twitter), “We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of an Indian national in Rockland near Ottawa due to a stabbing. Police have stated that a suspect has been taken into custody. We are in close contact through a local community association to provide all possible assistance to the bereaved kin.”
Kathireeya’s family in Gujarat was informed of the tragedy on Saturday. The OPP continues to investigate the case, and community members have expressed fear and grief in the wake of the violent attack.
