SURREY,CANADA: Three brothers had to appear in Surrey courts Sept. 3rd to face charges of second degree murder in a drive by shooting that killed one man and wounded four. Sukh minder Singh Braich, 36, Ajmer Singh Braich, 42, and Major Singh Braich, 46, were charged Monday in the death of 24year old Basant Singh Dhaliwal. The three turned themselves in with their lawyer. They remained in custody overnight and are expected to face additional charges. Police said the attack was part of a feud between members of the Braich and Dhaliwal families. But Basant Dhaliwal was not believed to be the intended target of the shooting. “He was with people who may have been in dispute with the Braich family.” The attack occurred Saturday across the street from Kwantlen Park, on Old Yale Road, where thousands had gathered to attend an annual tournament that has become one of the highlights of the Indo Canadian community’s sports calendar.
Witnesses said the attackers fired from the open door of a van, killing Dhaliwal. The young man had only been in Canada for two months, moving here with his parents from Punjab. Dhaliwal’s cousin, Jarnail Singh Dhaliwal, 35, was shot in both legs and remains in serious condition in hospital. Two other men were hospitalized with bullet wounds to their legs. A fourth man received a superficial wound to the shoulder.
RCMP, Sikh Temple tournament organizers, and civic officials decided to cancel the rest of the event out of respect for Dhaliwal. Sukhi Sandhu, parks board deputy chairman, said the decision to end the activities was difficult. Organizers work all year to put together the tournament, which show cases a tag like game called Kabbadi. “The membership of the temple felt there was a cloud over the tournament,” said Sandhu “We could not afford…the possibility of fur the violence. The city could not take that risk. The temple could not take that risk.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 4, 1996
