Fatal accident cuts short Indian student’s Australian dream

23-year-old Harjot Singh succumbed to his injuries after sustaining serious head injuries in a bike accident, during a short trip to his hometown in Punjab.

Harjot Singh Source: Supplied

The 23-year-old student, who was weeks away from attaining his cookery qualifications after a four-year struggle, had his life tragically cut short in a bike accident, during a trip to India.

Melbourne-based Harjot Singh was returning home to his village in Bathinda district in Punjab, after meeting a friend on August 30, when his bike crashed into a concrete electric pole, and he was flung from his bike head-first onto the ground, leaving him with serious skull injuries.

He was immediately rushed to a hospital in the vicinity, where he underwent critical brain surgery, after which he was put on life support. After struggling for five days, Mr Singh breathed his last on September 5.  

 

Harjot Singh with his maternal grandfather and uncle. Source: Supplied

Mr Singh’s Melbourne-based uncle Guriqbal Sidhu, who was also his local guardian, told SBS Punjabi that his sudden loss has hit the family hard, who are finding it exceedingly difficult to cope with their only child’s death.

“His mother is visibly shaken. This was the time when they could have rejoiced in their son’s accomplishments, now that he was about to finish his degree and would have applied for his permanent residency in Australia,” said Mr Sidhu.

The grief-stricken uncle said, while so much has been a blur in the aftermath of his nephew’s death, he remembers the time he spent with Harjot and the last time they were together as a family.

“Harjot came here on a student visa four years ago. Although he was currently staying with his friends in Thomastown, he used to live with us for the initial three years of his stay in Australia.

“I can’t remember any time spent in his company when he didn’t make us laugh at his silly jokes. He had an amazing sense of humour and I’ll always remember him for his wisecracks and his smile", added Mr Sidhu.

 

Young Indian student's life ends in a tragedy. Source: Facebook

Mr Singh used to work part-time in a restaurant and also as a scaffolder when he had spare time, to facilitate his education.

“Life had just started to take a positive turn for him, but his dreams were cut too short too soon,” said Mr Sidhu, who has started a fundraiser to support Harjot’s family back in Punjab with his outstanding medical bills and student loan.

“We have already collected $9,000 of the set target of $18,000. So far the community has been very generous and we hope they’ll continue to help us in these trying times.”

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