R.I.P. Gurshan

Even as three-year-old Gurshan Singh Channa's family mourn his death, Australian police await forensic test results

Even as three-year-old Gurshan Singh Channa's family mourn his death, Australian police await forensic test results

Mystery continues to shroud the murder of three-year-old toddler Gurshan Singh Channa, whose body was found last Thursday with no obvious injuries, dumped by the side of a road about 30 km from his parents' home in the Melbourne suburb of Lalor.

An autopsy has yielded no clues as to the cause of death of the child who, according to Ajay Pathania, a housemate, was screaming after his father left home to visit a library nearby. (KHALIDOSCOPE, MiD DAY, March 5). Victoria police are now believed to be of the opinion that Gurshan, who his devastated father Harjit Singh Channa yesterday described as a "sweet child", was not the victim of a random attack.

Harjit and his cooking student wife Harpreet Kaur Channa were yesterday taken to the coroner to view his body. Gurshan Singh vanished from his home at 1.10 pm. on Thursday when Pathania was at the library with the boy's father. "We got a call from his mother and we didn't know where the boy was," he is reported as saying by AAP. The police were here quickly," he said.

Another housemate has said that the boy had been screaming that afternoon because they had left for the library without him while his mother was taking a shower.

Three families had been living in the house, with Gurshan the only child.

Twenty-four-old Sim Kaur, who was at home when Gurshan disappeared, said the boy'su00a0 screaming suddenly stopped and she feared he had left the house and tried to follow his father.

The toddler's body was found among beer bottles in knee-high grass six hours later in a dead-end, semi rural road more than 20 kilometres away fully clothed with no injuries.

Police say further forensic tests are needed after the inconclusive autopsy.

Neighbours have been dropping off flowers and toys in Gurshan's memory since his death. "It's very touching to see," Pathania said. About two dozen different types of flowers have been laid outside the couple's home, next to stuffed teddy bears and toy trucks. "Sorry for your tragic loss from a caring grandmother," says one card attached to a bunch of orange roses. "Little angel Gurshan -- my heart goes out to you," says another.

	The Melbourne Police on Saturday
	Requested the Indian community to not jump to conclusions over the death of Gurshan Singh Channa. Victoria Police spokesman Marty Beveridge said they needed to give the homicide detectives time and space to conduct investigation into the child's death

"Another innocent life taken -- what is this world coming to when children are not safe in their own home?" asks another card. Both parents were interviewed by police last night for over five hours on Friday night but a police spokeswoman stressed they were not under arrest. They were on holiday in Australia and were to leave for India next week.

Police have not said if they have any suspects and have appealed for more witnesses.

No racial motives have been imputed in the murder as yet in the absence of any clues, but the tragedy has come just as Australian foreign minister Stephen Smith was telling prime minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi the "raw edge" had come off the issue of violence against Indians living in Australia.

Postscript: Australia has "informally advised" Indian authorities that its visa applicants will not be subject to new counter-terrorism biometric screening tests despite heightened fears of terrorist activity within its region.

(Source: AAP and The Australian)