Indian-origin police constable killed in line of duty in Canada

An Indian-origin provincial police constable in Ontario, who was killed in the line of duty, was on Friday remembered by Foreign Minister Anita Anand for his “courage, dedication, and commitment” to keeping Canadians safe.

Originally from Brampton, 29-year-old Tarun Bali, a constable with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), was killed when he and the members of the James Bay detachment tried to stop a vehicle in which a person from a mental health facility had fled in Hearst, 950-odd kilometres northwest of Ottawa.

“We mourn the loss of Provincial Constable Tarun Bali, who gave his life in service to others. His courage, dedication, and commitment to keeping Canadians safe will not be forgotten,” Anand said in a post on X on Friday in a tribute to Bali’s death on Tuesday.

She also described his death as a “tragic loss” and expressed her “deepest condolences” to his family and OPP colleagues, among others.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) said Bali had volunteered for a backfill assignment in northern Ontario to help police services during staffing shortages.

“On Tuesday, the officer, who had been with the OPP for 2 1/2 years, was seriously injured during an investigation near Hearst and later died,” it added.

The CBC said, quoting the OPP that police officers were attempting to arrest Justin Veronneau, 18, after he’d escaped from a hospital where he was being assessed under the Mental Health Act when Bali was struck by a vehicle.

“The force’s Criminal Investigation Branch is investigating the circumstances surrounding Bali’s death, alongside the Office of the Chief Coroner and Ontario Forensic Pathology Service,” it said.

CP24, a news portal under the umbrella of CTV News, said Bali’s body was flown to Simcoe airport and then driven to the Chief Coroner’s Office in Toronto for examination.

Patrick Brown, mayor of Brampton, said that he has spoken with Bali’s father, who has informed him that he and his wife will be travelling north to repatriate the body.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Canada’s Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree and the OPP Association (OPPA) also expressed their condolences, CP24 said.

Bali’s colleagues described him as “a perfect gentleman” who was well respected in the police force and the community, the CBC said, quoting Scott Mills, an OPPA spokesperson, as saying.

“He was endearing to anyone that he met,” Mills said, adding, the association is in contact with Bali’s family and support teams are being made available, including 24/7 mental health resources for officers impacted by the loss.

Flags on federal buildings in Ontario, except for the Peace Tower in Ottawa, are being lowered to half-mast from Wednesday through sunset Monday, CBC said.

In Hearst, Mayor Roger Sigouin said the town was left stunned, describing what happened as a shock for a small, close-knit community with a population of about 5,000. “It’s not something you want to hear, something you don’t want to go through,” Sigouin said. “It’s a big shock for everyone.”

Mayor Brown of Brampton, where Bali was raised and still has family, said: “He was a young man who put himself in harm’s way to keep the public safe.”

Veronneau, also from Hearst, has been charged with first-degree murder and several related offences, including dangerous driving and resisting arrest, OPP said Wednesday.

The accused is scheduled for a court hearing on June 24, the CBC said.