Indian-origin man held for sexually assaulting woman in park in Canada

A 40-year-old Indian-origin man has been charged by Canadian police in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a female youth in a park earlier this month.

In a release issued on Monday, Surrey Police Service (SPS) identified the suspect as Jagendar Kurana. The British Columbia Prosecution Service has approved two criminal code charges against Kurana on a count each of sexual assault and sexual interference.

On August 9 at approximately 8.11pm , SPS officers responded to a report of a sexual assault in a park in the town of Surrey in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. Upon arrival, officers spoke with the victim who alleged that “she was groped by an adult male and provided a description of the suspect who had fled from the area.” Officers conducted extensive patrols of the park and surrounding areas but were unable to locate the suspect. Fortunately, the victim was not physically injured.

The suspect was described as a South Asian male, approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall, wearing a blue toque, black t-shirt, black pants and black flip flops.

In an advisory issued four days later, SPS said “the person who was the subject of a public appeal in an alleged sexual assault that occurred on August 9 has now been identified by police.” Kurana was arrested a day after the public appeal had been issued, August 12. He was scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday.

Anirudh Bhattacharya is a Toronto-based commentator on North American issues, and an author. He has also worked as a journalist in New Delhi and New York spanning print, television and digital media. He tweets as @anirudhb. Read More