Tanya Tyagi, an Indian student enrolled at the University of Calgary in Canada, has died, according to a statement issued by the Indian Consulate General in Vancouver.
The ‘India in Vancouver’ account released an official statement on Thursday, confirming the Indian national’s tragic passing without going into much detail.
“We are saddened by the sudden demise of Ms. Tanya Tyagi, an Indian student at the University of Calgary,” the Consulate said. “We are in contact with the local authorities and will extend all necessary support to the grieving family. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family and friends.”
The Consulate further revealed that they were in touch with the authorities as they simultaneously offered the needed assistance to the bereaved family. “Our heartfelt condolences & prayers are with his family & friends of the deceased,” said the X post, which also tagged Randhir Jaiswal, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson, the High Commission of India in Ottawa, Canada, and External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar.
Tyagi’s professional background reflected a promising career, with experience across multiple sectors in India. She had worked as a Retail Sales Manager at Metro Mart Store in Delhi, served as a Quality Assurance Intern at Zippy Edible Products Pvt. Ltd. in Uttarakhand, and contributed as a Market Research Associate at Jasper Colin Research. Additionally, she interned in Quality Control at Enviro Lab in Rajasthan in 2019 and in Business Development at DP Jindal Group in Gurugram in 2018.
As investigations continue, the Indian authorities have assured that every possible support is being extended to her family.
Another student dies in Canada
In a separate tragic incident, a 21-year-old Indian student, Harsimrat Randhawa, lost her life in Hamilton, Canada, when she was hit by a stray bullet while standing at a bus stop. Hamilton Police said that Randhawa was hit by a stray bullet during a shootout between two cars near Upper James and South Bend Road.
Randhawa, a Mohawk College student in Hamilton, was traveling to work when the incident occurred. She is the fourth Indian citizen to have been killed in Canada within the last four months in unconnected violent attacks.
Police reported that the shooting erupted between the occupants of a white sedan and a black car, with one man opening fire in CCTV footage. Fronds from the shootout also shattered the window of a nearby residence, though no one else was injured. Randhawa had a gunshot wound to her chest and was taken to hospital, where she died from her wounds.
The Consulate General of India in Toronto confirmed that Randhawa was an innocent bystander. In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), the Consulate expressed grief and assured full support to her family while closely monitoring the ongoing homicide investigation.
This is the third of three distinct Indian national fatalities in Canada. Gurasis Singh, 22 years old from Ludhiana, was stabbed to death at his rented house in December 2024. Rittika Rajput, also 22, perished when a tree crashed onto her during a bonfire party. On December 6, Harshandeep Singh, 20 years old and employed as a security guard in Edmonton, was gunned down by a gang.
India has expressed concern regarding the safety of its citizens in Canada as violence cases increase, calling on residents and students to be vigilant.
Series of fatalities invloving Indian student in Canada
Tanya Tyagi’s death is the latest in a string of distressing incidents involving Indian students abroad. Earlier this year, 20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki, an Indian citizen and permanent U.S. resident, went missing while on vacation in the Dominican Republic.
A student at the University of Pittsburgh, Konanki was last seen on March 6 at dawn, walking alone on the beach near the Riu Punta Cana Hotel in La Altagracia province, a popular resort area on the country’s eastern coast.
According to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), which is actively assisting in the international search effort:
“Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old female from Chantilly and a student at the University of Pittsburgh, was reported missing on Thursday, March 6, 2025.”
She was last seen around 4:50 a.m., walking alone on the beach near the Riu Punta Cana Hotel in La Altagracia province, a popular resort area on the country’s eastern coast.
A missing persons bulletin circulated in Spanish media described Sudiksha as having black hair and brown eyes, and said she was last seen wearing a brown two-piece bikini, large round earrings, a metal anklet on her right leg, yellow and steel bracelets on her right hand, and a multi-coloured bracelet on her left hand.
The LCSO is working closely with the U.S. Department of State, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and University of Pittsburgh Police to assist the Dominican National Police in the search. Despite international cooperation, Sudiksha remains missing, and her disappearance continues to raise urgent questions about the safety of international travelers.
