Surrey
school principal killed after one week of marriage- Murder Mystery
Surrey, B.C., Canada, July 07, 2007
Lachman Singh
Last week, NRI Narinder (Paul) Cheema married to a prominent
Surrey school principal Shemina Hirji, 41, woman and she was murdered
by three intruders on Thursday. Mr. Cheema called police about
12.15 pm and the three attackers fled.
Police said Mr. Cheema suffered non-life-threatening injuries
and was the only witness, was treated at hospital and released.
Police refused to say how the woman was killed or what kind of
injuries her husband sustained.
Police is still searching for the attackers. One of the men is
described as tall, Caucasian and wearing a brown suit, and another
as dark-skinned and wearing a ski mask. Police did not get a description
of the third.
Hirji was a member of Burnaby’s Ismaili community. Hirji's
death sent shockwaves through the Ismaili community. One school
friend said, just one week before, parents Amir and Roshan Hirji
were at their daughter's lavish wedding at the Fairmont Hotel
Vancouver, celebrating the new life Shemina was beginning with
her husband.
One friend of Hirji, who was one of the couple's estimated 300
guests. said, “They loved each other so much and the parents
were very happy.”
Reni Masi, the board vice-chair, said, “Shemina is known
as an educator absolutely committed to making a difference in
the lives of children, a role model, a strong leader and a key
member of the school-district family." She had been principal
of AHP Matthew Elementary school at 13367-97 Avenue in Surrey
since 2005.
Hirji received her bachelor’s degree in education from
Simon Fraser University in 1991 and wrote her master’s thesis
on the role of Sikh teachers in the B.C. school system. Ms. Hirji
also taught religious classes regularly in the Ismaili community.
She also published several scholarly papers, including Teachers
of Punjabi Sikh Ancestry: Their Perceptions of Their Roles in
the British Columbia Education System, written as part of her
master's of education at Simon Fraser University.
“She loved children at the school. She thought of them
all as her own children,” Ms. Parasiuk said. Ms. Hirji was
especially enthusiastic about married life. She talked about getting
married, and how happy she was, and she was looking forward to
the wedding. She just wanted to have a life with her new husband.
Outside the Ismaili community's mosque in Burnaby, Arris Meghji,
the secretary for the Ismaili Council of BC said, "Ms. Hirji's
death "is a big shock. We pray for the family and she is
a great person, very gentle and very compassionate."
According to one media report, Cheema's family was not happy
and opposed to the wedding.
