Charlie Lake victim’s family receives condolences from chief minister of home state in India

CHARLIE LAKE, B.C. — The chief minister of a state in India has sent his condolences to the family of a man who died after an “altercation” at Charlie Lake. 

Mohan Yadav, chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, a state in central India, has expressed his condolences to the family of Gurkirat Manocha who died on March 13th. 

Manocha hailed from the city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, according to media reports from the region.

The Fort St. John RCMP were called to the Charlie Lake boat ramp at around 11.10 p.m. on March 13th to reports about several people involved in an “altercation”, with one person suffering serious injuries. 

Officers later identified the victim as Manocha, who was taken to the hospital by his friends, but later succumbed to his injuries. 

The North Major Crime Unit has launched a homicide investigation.

According to the state’s official website, the minister has spoken to Manocha’s family. 

It said the minister is “deeply saddened” by the untimely passing of a “talented” student of the country. 

The minister has also assured the family the Government of India and Madhya Pradesh will provide full assistance to complete the last rites of Manocha. 

According to Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), Manocha’s father, Gurjeet Singh Manocha, said they had sent Manocha to Canada to study for two years and he has been here for a year and approximately three months. 

Referring to the “altercation” that happened, Gurjeet, speaking to IANS, said: “[Gurkirat] did not have these types of thoughts nor was he involved in these things. He was focused on his work.” 

The quote was translated from Hindi by Energeticcity.ca reporter Ruth Prarthana Stephen Albert.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or may have dashcam footage is asked to contact the Fort St. John RCMP at 250-787-8140.