FILE PHOTO - Harmandeep Kaur
Image Credit: GOFUNDME/Justice for Harmandeep Kaur
March 03, 2022 - 11:20 AM
The family of a Kelowna security guard who died following an assault at UBC Okanagan has arrived in Canada and a funeral will be held for her this week.
Harmandeep Kaur, 24, died in hospital after she was allegedly assaulted by a man working at the University Centre building on campus, Feb. 26. She was working as a security guard with Paladin Security.
The man was arrested under the Mental Health Act and may be facing murder charges, according to the Kelowna RCMP. No charges have been laid.
READ MORE: Murder of security guard at UBCO has Kelowna councillor calling for more mental health supports
“It is with an extremely heavy heart that we are mourning the loss of one of our own,” according to a tweet by Paladin Security. “She was an amazing person who worked hard to make the local community a safer place.” They did not immediately return a request for comment.
Her parents arrived in Vancouver yesterday, March 2. Her parents were travelling to B.C. unaware Kaur was dead.
A funeral service will be held at the Squamish Funeral Chapel and Crematorium on March 5 at 10:30 a.m., said Okanagan Sikh Temple president Amarjit Lalli. It will be broadcast live and a link will be shared through the Okanagan Sikh Temple's Facebook page.
Kaur’s body will be transported to Squamish tomorrow for the funeral. She has an uncle who lives in Squamish so her family will not be coming to the Okanagan, he said.
Her brother lives in California and Kaur hadn’t seen him in years because she wasn’t able to travel. Her family planned to go to the U.S. together because she received just received her permanent residency, Lalli said.
Prayer services are being held in Squamish at the Gurdwara Baba Nanak Sahib, he said.
READ MORE: Kelowna RCMP launch homicide investigation into death of security guard at UBCO
Originally from Kapurthla, Punjab, India, Kaur came to Canada in 2015 with the dream of attending university to become a paramedic.
"Her path towards fulfilling this dream had not been easy as she first studied at Columbia College in Vancouver and simultaneously worked to pay for school. Eventually, she found her way to Kelowna in 2018," according to a GoFundMe page started for her family and created by Kuljit Pabla.
Since the incident, an outpouring of support has been shown across the community.
Lalli said if anyone in Kaur’s circle of friends or family need counselling, he invites them to reach out and he will make sure they are taken care of. You can contact the Okanagan Sikh Temple by phone at 250-765-7477 or by email at okanagansikhtemple@outlook.com.
Prayers are being held every morning and Kaur’s name does come up during prayer sessions. The Kelowna Gurduara is also holding a session on mental health, depression and how to deal with tragedy at 7 p.m. March 10, Lalli said. Information on the upcoming session will be posted through the temple's Facebook page and will be held through Zoom.
"It sends shockwaves through the whole community," Lalli said. "It's another act of violence against women and it's really tragic."
The GoFundMe page has raised nearly $49,000 as of March 3 for Kaur’s family. Its original goal was $25,000. The fundraiser can be found here.
— This story was updated at 11:35 a.m., Thursday, March 3, 2022, to provide additional funeral details.
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