SURREY —The president of a Sikh temple in Surrey has been charged with attempted murder as his wife remains in critical condition following a domestic dispute.
Baldev Singh Kalsi, 66, was taken into custody on July 14 and had originally faced charges of aggravated assault. Those charges were later upgraded to attempted murder. He is the president of the Gurdwara Sahib Brookside.
RCMP were called to a home in the 19400-block of 32nd Avenue in Surrey around noon on Sunday.
Upon attendance, police located Kalsi’s wife who had sustained life-threatening injuries. She was then airlifted to a hospital by BC Ambulance Service.
Surindar Singh Jabal, public relations spokesperson for the Brookside temple, told the Now that he was shocked by what happened but did not have any details on the incident.
“It’s really bad and really sad, I don’t know what else I can say,†he said.
“It’s a family matter. The first thing is the law should take its course and justice should prevail. If he is guilty then they should punish him.â€
Jabal has not had any contact with the Kalsi family and could not provide any updates on the status of Kalsi’s wife, Narinder.
“We are equally sad like everybody else and equally concerned, and we pray for his wife Narinder that she gets better,†said Jabal.
Coun. Barinder Rasode believes that while the issue of domestic violence is still a problem, there is more awareness and attitudes are changing.
“Not only is there more of an awareness but more of a collective outrage against this type of violence. We have seen that in many cases, whether it be Manjit Panghali or Maple Batalia ... I think that the community is not only speaking out but working hard to make sure that this type of behaviour is discouraged and fought against,†she said.
“Abuse whether it is emotional, physical or financial has no room in any culture or society and definitely not here in the City of Surrey.â€
Jabal told the Now that these sort of violent acts are not condoned by most members of the Sikh and South-Asian communities.
“Life is very important, that’s what we believe, and there is no reason to take somebody’s life over an argument like that,†he said.
Kalsi did not appear in Surrey court on Wednesday as expected, as he sustained injuries from an assault that happened while in custody at Surrey Pretrial Centre Tuesday evening. Kalsi was taken to hospital with facial injuries. A 42-year-old inmate has been identified as a possible suspect.
Surrey RCMP's Serious Crime Unit is investigating. The incident does not appear to be linked to the victim's involvement in the ongoing homicide investigation.
RAKHI AIMS TO QUELL VIOLENCE
Baldev Singh Kalsi’s attempted murder charge comes at a time when the South Asian community is bringing awareness to domestic violence with the Rakhi Project.
Running until Aug. 10, the City of Surrey, in partnership with the South Asian community is hoping to bring awareness and an end to domestic violence.
While domestic violence affects all communities regardless of race or religion, Surrey has been home to several forums on the subject relating specifically to the South Asian community over the years.
Those forums were prompted by high-profile incidents such as the shooting of 19-year-old Maple Batalia in 2011, allegedly by her boyfriend, and the 2006 murder of teacher Manjit Panghali, whose husband strangled her and set her body on fire.