Mohali, Jan 6: A 22-year-old student from Punjab died after being struck by a vehicle on a highway in Canada’s Ontario province, prompting a police investigation and leaving his family struggling to bring his body home.
Armaan Chauhan, a resident of Lalru Mandi in Mohali district, died on January 5 after a road accident on Highway 401 near Krameh Township. He was travelling from Montreal to Toronto with a friend when the incident occurred, police said.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said they received a call reporting that a pedestrian had been hit in the westbound lane of the highway. “When officers reached the spot, they found a car parked near the median,” police said in a statement.
Authorities said Armaan was on foot at the time of the accident, though the circumstances under which he was walking on the highway remain unclear. Police are examining CCTV footage to determine whether the parked vehicle was involved or if another vehicle struck him.
Emergency services rushed to the scene but Armaan was declared dead, police said. The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation.
Back in Lalru, the news of Armaan’s death has cast a pall of grief over the village. He was the only son of his parents.
“We want a full and transparent investigation,” a family member said. “Only the truth will give us some peace.”
The family is also facing financial and administrative hurdles in repatriating Armaan’s body to India. Meanwhile, the OPP has appealed to witnesses and motorists with dashcam footage from the area at the time of the incident to come forward.
The case has once again brought attention to safety concerns faced by Indian students studying abroad.
