After Indian immigrant employee found dead in Walmart oven, Sikh community supports family

The Sikh community in Halifax, Canada is rallying around the family of Gursimran Kaur, a 19-year-old Walmart employee who was found dead on Saturday in the store’s walk-in bakery oven.

Community leaders who knew the family shared that Kaur and her mother immigrated to Canada from India around two years ago, and both women had been working together at that Walmart location.

Kaur’s mother, who found the body, is traumatized, advocates said.  

“The first day I saw her was the day the incident happened. She was really distraught. She was really in great pain,” Halifax Maritime Sikh Society board member Satnam Randhawa told NBC News.

Local authorities say the investigation into Kaur’s death is ongoing, and the cause and manner of death have not yet been determined.

“The community has been shocked by the whole incident,” Harjit Seyan, president of the Sikh Society, told Canadian broadcast program Global News. “We are really upset.”

Over the last week, the Sikh Society has orchestrated a communitywide show of support. A GoFundMe started on behalf of the family has accumulated nearly $80,000 Canadian dollars. 

The fundraiser described the series of events that led up to Kaur’s body being discovered in the oven, saying her mother became concerned after not seeing her at the store for an hour. She tried asking about her whereabouts and calling her phone, before she ultimately came across the gruesome scene. 

Kaur and her mother both regularly attended the Sikh Society gurdwara, or worship center, Randhawa said. Now, its members are trying to fly out Kaur’s father and her 10-year-old brother, who are still in India.

“Of course, the immediate family is absolutely shocked. They are in kind of a trauma,” Seyan said.

The Walmart where the death happened has been closed until further notice.

“We are heartbroken and our deepest thoughts are with our associate and their family. Our focus remains on taking care of our associates and making sure they have the support they need,” a company spokesperson told NBC News. “As police have stated, this is a very complex matter and the investigation is ongoing.”