Police say another Sikh student attacked on bus in Kelowna, B.C.

Advertisement

Advertise with us

KELOWNA, B.C. - Police say a Sikh high school student in Kelowna, B.C., was pepper sprayed after an "altercation" on a bus on Monday, in the second instance of violence against a Sikh youth riding public transit in the city this year.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/09/2023 (1116 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

KELOWNA, B.C. – Police say a Sikh high school student in Kelowna, B.C., was pepper sprayed after an “altercation” on a bus on Monday, in the second instance of violence against a Sikh youth riding public transit in the city this year.

The World Sikh Organization of Canada says it’s deeply concerned by the latest incident that it says began when two people tried to bar the Grade 11 student from boarding, then got on with him and began threatening him with a lighter, filming the interaction on their phones.

A statement issued by the organization on Wednesday says the assailants began kicking and punching the student, a newcomer to Canada, before the bus driver kicked them all off the bus, and the attackers pepper sprayed the teenager before bystanders got involved.

An RCMP patch is seen on the shoulder of an officer, in Surrey, B.C., on Friday, April 28, 2023. The World Sikh Organization of Canada says a Sikh high school student in Kelowna, B.C., was kicked, punched and pepper sprayed in an attack Monday, the second instance of violence against a Sikh youth this year in the city.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
An RCMP patch is seen on the shoulder of an officer, in Surrey, B.C., on Friday, April 28, 2023. The World Sikh Organization of Canada says a Sikh high school student in Kelowna, B.C., was kicked, punched and pepper sprayed in an attack Monday, the second instance of violence against a Sikh youth this year in the city.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Kelowna RCMP say they were called to an intersection in Rutland Monday afternoon and found that a 17-year-old Sikh student had been pepper sprayed or bear sprayed by another teenage male.

Kelowna Mounties say they’ve identified a suspect but they’re still investigating and are trying to figure out a motive for the attack.

In March, Kelowna RCMP said a Sikh international student was hit from behind as he got off a bus, and hate crime investigators were being consulted.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2023.

Report Error Submit a Tip

The Free Press acknowledges the financial support it receives from members of the city’s faith community, which makes our coverage of religion possible.

More Stories

Gordon Bell rings in a century

Maggie Macintosh 13 minute read Preview

Gordon Bell rings in a century

Maggie Macintosh 13 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 8:06 PM CDT

Mischka Valencia had gotten used to the hum of heavy machinery at Gordon Bell High School.

“Ever since I’ve been here, it’s all been under construction,” the Grade 12 student said, standing on the sidelines of the brightly painted revamped outdoor basketball court. “I had no idea this was a court.”

The Filipina teenager landed in Winnipeg several months after the inner-city campus had transformed into a construction site.

It was the fall of 2023 and Mischka’s priorities were fitting in, befriending classmates and learning a third language via first-period French.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 8:06 PM CDT

A 22-year-old man is dead and an 18-year-old is in hospital in critical condition after a two-vehicle crash on Highway 8 on Thursday evening.

A Gimli RCMP officer was driving north on the highway, near Riverton, when he witnessed the collision at about 6:45 p.m.

A vehicle headed north had passed the Mountie at a high speed before colliding with an SUV that was turning west onto Provincial Road 329 from Highway 8.

The driver of the first vehicle, an 18-year-old man from Arborg, was rushed to hospital by a helicopter ambulance with injuries RCMP describe as serious and life-threatening.

Puzzles Palace

1 minute read Monday, Jul. 27, 2026

To solve our puzzles, please subscribe with this special offer: |

Nearly four in 10 Manitobans hope Canada restarts trade talks after U.S. midterm elections, poll reveals

Gabrielle Piché 4 minute read Preview

Nearly four in 10 Manitobans hope Canada restarts trade talks after U.S. midterm elections, poll reveals

Gabrielle Piché 4 minute read Yesterday at 7:00 AM CDT

Disorganized — that’s what Marcus Langlois calls recent United States tariffs.

He expects suppliers’ prices to increase — on mugs, pens, hoodies — for his employer, Dreamcatcher Promotions, if the United States–Canada trade war persists.

Still, he’s not pining for a quick trade deal.

“I think it should wait,” said Langlois, Dreamcatcher Promotions’ vice-president. “Let’s hope that it’s later on with proper negotiations happening.”

Read
Yesterday at 7:00 AM CDT

Six high school hockey programs ceased operations following new Hockey Manitoba policy

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Preview

Six high school hockey programs ceased operations following new Hockey Manitoba policy

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 8:19 PM CDT

She lived the best of both worlds.

For the last three years, the 17-year-old wore a sweater for two different hockey programs — her high school team and AAA club in the Manitoba Female Hockey League — and was preparing to flourish in both colours again this winter.

Recently, however, the blue-liner was disappointed to learn she is no longer eligible to play her Grade 12 season with her school owing to a new policy imposed by Hockey Manitoba that bans players from participating in the Manitoba Women’s High School Hockey League if they are rostered on a U18 AAA team.

The rule applies to all athletes who play for both Winnipeg-based and rural AAA teams.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 8:19 PM CDT

J’accuse!: Kinew uses French to fry interim Tory leader over alleged caucus subterfuge

Chris Kitching and Maggie Macintosh 4 minute read Preview

J’accuse!: Kinew uses French to fry interim Tory leader over alleged caucus subterfuge

Chris Kitching and Maggie Macintosh 4 minute read Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026

NDP Premier Wab Kinew took a dig at the Progressive Conservatives’ leadership change while facing off with Obby Khan’s short-term replacement for the first time in question period Thursday.

Read
Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026