A young Indian national has been identified as the victim of a fatal traffic accident on Saturday that also claimed the life of the captain of a team from Canada’s professional football league.
Event Context
The crash occurred at 9pm on Saturday and initial reports said that Jayden Dalke, captain of the Saskatchewan Roughriders from the Canadian Football League (CFL) was killed in the accident. It has emerged that 22-year-old Bhishma Rajyaguru was the second victim of the crash on a highway near Regina, capital of the province of Saskatchewan.
The outlet Sask Today quoted local law enforcement as saying that the silver SUV being driven by Dalke may have been in the wrong lane when the head-on collision with the vehicle Rajyaguru was driving.
“The silver SUV was travelling northbound in the southbound lane when the collision occurred,” Mandy Maier, a spokesperson for the Saskatchewan detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or RCMP was quoted as stating. Officers located alcohol and cannabis in Dalke’s vehicle.
Team Analysis
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Roughriders said it was “profoundly saddened” by the death of Regina resident Rajyaguru. “In speaking with one of Bhishma’s loved ones, he shared with us that he was a caring friend, a devoted son, a supportive brother, and someone who was always there for the people in his life. A gifted percussionist with a deep love of music, Bhishma’s passion and presence left a lasting impression on everyone who had the privilege of knowing him,” the statement added. It also said the Roughriders will honour Rayaguru as part of the pre-game ceremony on Thursday evening and they were working with his family on the best way to extend support.
An online fundraiser in his memory said he was the victim of an “alleged wrong-way driver — a senseless tragedy that has shattered the hearts of everyone who knew him.”
The fundraiser had collected over CA$ 77,000 by Tuesday evening. Started by two of his friends, it said that he came to Canada as an international student in April 2022 “with big dreams and an even bigger heart.”
The Gujarati Samaj of Saskatchewan said that it was “deeply saddened by the tragic passing of our beloved community member, Bhishma, in a car accident.” Andrew Scheer, former leader of the Conservative Party and a sitting MP from Regina, said, in a post, “I have heard from numerous members of the Gujarati community who are reeling from this devastating loss.”
“My sincere condolences to friends and family of Bhishma Rajyaguru as they mourn his tragic death,” Scheer added.
