London, Ontario (Rajeev Sharma): A Sikh woman in her 30s has died after suffering critical injuries at a home in London, Ontario, with police charging her husband in connection with her death.
Police identified the woman as Raman Devi and said she died on September 15 after an incident at a residence on Chelton Road in southeast London. Her 41-year-old husband, Mandeep Singh, has been charged with second-degree murder.
Authorities are investigating the case as a femicide and said investigators are examining the history of the couple’s relationship. Police said other family members were inside the home when the incident occurred, but no additional injuries were reported.
Devi was reportedly raising two young children while completing a registered massage therapy programme. She was only months away from finishing her studies and had been looking forward to beginning her professional career.
Friends described her as a caring and supportive mother who was deeply devoted to her family. She and Singh had a four-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter. Devi’s mother had also travelled from India to help look after the children.
Singh appeared before a court on September 18 from the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre. He requested the assistance of a Punjabi interpreter during the proceedings.
The case comes after recent changes to Canada’s Criminal Code concerning certain killings of women in the context of intimate-partner violence and coercive or controlling conduct. Despite those changes, Singh is currently facing a second-degree murder charge.
Local advocates for survivors of gender-based violence have stressed that intimate-partner violence can affect families across communities and urged neighbours and friends to pay attention to warning signs and offer support to people who may be afraid to seek help.
A fundraiser has also been launched to assist Devi’s mother and her two children following the tragedy.
