Canada: Indian consulate condemns fatal shooting of doctoral student, offers full support to family

Consulate assists family after student killed

The Consulate General of India in Toronto on Thursday expressed deep anguish over the killing of an Indian student near the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus.

In a statement shared on X, the Consulate said it is providing all necessary assistance to the victim’s family.

“We express deep anguish over the tragic death of a young Indian doctoral student, Mr Shivank Avasthi, in a fatal shooting incident near the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. The Consulate is in touch with the bereaved family during this difficult time, and is extending all necessary assistance in close coordination with the local authorities,” the Consulate General said.

We express deep anguish over the tragic death of a young Indian doctoral student, Mr. Shivank Avasthi, in a fatal shooting incident near the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. The Consulate is in touch with the bereaved family during this difficult time, and is extending…

— IndiainToronto (@IndiainToronto) December 25, 2025

Toronto Police reported that Avasthi was shot near the Highland Creek Trail and Old Kingston Road area on Tuesday. Officers arrived to find him with a gunshot wound; he was pronounced dead at the scene, the Toronto Sun reported.

Police added that the suspects had fled before their arrival, and the campus was temporarily locked down while the investigation continued.

According to the Toronto Sun, Avasthi’s death marks Toronto’s 41st homicide of the year.

Earlier, Toronto Police said a 30-year-old Indian-origin woman was found murdered in the city and that a Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued for a suspect who was known to the victim.

The deceased was identified as Himanshi Khurana, a resident of Toronto. Police said they are searching for Abdul Ghafoori (32), also of Toronto, in connection with the case. According to CBC News, investigators said the incident appears to involve "intimate partner violence."

On Wednesday, India's Consulate in Toronto expressed deep shock and sorrow over the murder of Himanshi Khurana. In a post shared on X, the Consulate said it was "deeply saddened and shocked by the murder of. Himanshi Khurana, a young Indian national, in Toronto," and extended its "deepest condolences to her bereaved family during this moment of profound grief."

It has been in close touch with the matter over the past few days and added that all possible assistance is being extended to the family in close coordination with local authorities as the investigation continues.