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Indo-Canadian influencer, Khalistan critic Nancy Grewal stabbed to death in Ontario
Family of 45-year-old social media influencer alleges death threats from radicals; police investigate isolated incident in LaSalle.
An outspoken critic of pro-Khalistan separatists and a prominent Punjabi social media influencer has been murdered in the town of LaSalle, Ontario. The victim, identified by local law enforcement on Wednesday as 45-year-old Nancy Grewal, succumbed to injuries after being stabbed at a residence on Monday night.
While the LaSalle Police Service has described the homicide as an “isolated incident” to ease public concern, Grewal’s family in Punjab has alleged a targeted campaign of intimidation by hardliners.
According to the LaSalle Police, emergency units responded to reports of a stabbing on Todd Lane, between Canada and Bishop streets, shortly before 9.30pm on Monday. Grewal was discovered with critical injuries and transported by Essex-Windsor Emergency Medical Services to a local hospital, where she later passed away.
Detectives are currently seeking video surveillance from residents in the vicinity. “The investigation into the homicide is ongoing,” the police department said, though they have not yet confirmed if any suspects are in custody or disclosed a specific motive.
Family alleges radical link
Speaking in Jalandhar, Grewal’s mother, Shinderpal Kaur, 70, said her daughter had been receiving frequent death threats from hardliners over her digital content.
“Local radicals objected to her content and developed an enmity with Nancy,” she said, adding: “Two months ago, unidentified miscreants set her house ablaze. She survived and reported it to the police. She even received a death threat letter recently; we have provided the names of three suspects to the authorities.”
Shinderpal Kaur alleged that the Windsor-based Gurdwara, which Grewal frequently visited, had become a “hub of radicals” who took issue with her questioning the management and her vocal opposition to separatist ideologies.
Contentious digital presence
Grewal, originally from Narangwal village in Ludhiana, moved to Canada in 2018. She built a significant following, nearly 9,000 subscribers on YouTube and 12,000 on Instagram, by posting sharp, often controversial commentary on Punjab politics and Sikh issues.
She frequently challenged proponents of Khalistan, often using the derisive term ‘Khotaistanis’ (fake nationalists). Her recent videos included critiques of various Sikh religious issues.
Her mother noted that Grewal’s videos were often under the scanner for their “sharp criticism and strong epithets”. “I usually asked her to change the verbal context or not to upload if the language was too offensive,” she said.
The family learned of the tragedy on March 4 after Grewal failed to answer multiple calls, prompting them to contact her employer and local police. Grewal had been working as a caregiver in Windsor following her divorce.
Shinderpal Kaur is expected to fly to Canada on March 6 to perform her daughter’s last rites.
The murder echoes the June 2023 killing of another social media influencer, Kanchan Kumari (popularly known as Kamal Kaur Bhabhi), who was found murdered in her car in Bathinda. In that case, Amritpal Singh Mehron, a nihang who claimed to lead a radical vigilante group, released a video claiming responsibility for the killing, alleging she had “defamed Sikh traditions”. Mehron subsequently fled to the UAE to evade arrest, highlighting a growing trend of violent radical responses to digital content.
