Vancouver, September 22, 2005
Salim Jiwa
The Province
More than 80 NRI, (Non-resident Indians) packed a
Surrey courtroom and more stood outside yesterday,
demanding justice in the deaths of two elderly men.
Two boys aged 13 and 15 are charged with assault
and aggravated assault in the baseball-bat beatings
of Mewa Singh Bains, 84, and Shingara Thandi, 76.
The crowd demanded that the charges be upgraded to
murder.
The two men were severely beaten in the washroom
at Bear Creek Park in separate attacks.
Bains was attacked and robbed on July 18. Thandi,
beaten the next day, died in hospital on Aug. 6. Bains
died on Sept. 3 after suffering a massive stroke following
surgery.
Jaswinder Thandi spoke of his anguish when he saw
his father's battered body at Royal Columbian Hospital,
where he had been rushed for surgery.
The beating had obliterated his face.
"I could not recognize my dad," said Thandi.
"I had to look at the rest of his body to tell
that was my dad."
Thandi said the family was worried when he did not
return home from a stroll in the park on July 19.
After making panicky phone calls, they learned he
was at the hospital. He died 18 days later.
Dalvinder Bains, 36, said his father had a black
eye and a bump on the back of his head after the attack.
He said his father was examined at hospital and then
discharged.
A few days later, he was taken back to hospital with
a headache, and it was discovered he had suffered
internal bleeding.
Bains was taking a blood thinner and it had to be
stopped so that surgery could be done. He suffered
a stroke on Sept. 2 and died the next day.
Prosecutor Michelle Wray said outside court that
Crown and police are contemplating additional charges.
Authorities would have to directly link the beating
to Bains' death before murder charges could be laid.
Laying murder charges in the Thandi case appears
to be more straightforward.
The crowd expressed outrage that the younger of the
two accused has been granted bail and that the charges
have not been upgraded to murder.
"Everyone should be outraged. We will keep coming
back here," said community activist Sukhi Sandhu.
He said supporters of the two families want to see
24-hour security in heavily used Bear Creek Park and
cameras near the washroom.
"This is a hate crime," he charged. "How
come they picked on two elderly Sikhs?"
Sandhu said community members will turn out in force
on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Bear Creek Park for a candlelight
vigil.
The next court appearance for the two teenagers was
set yesterday for Sept. 28 in Surrey Provincial Court.
sjiwa@png.canwest.com
© The Vancouver Province 2005
