By Jagdeesh Mann,
Mata Press Service

You can kill a person, but not an idea.

Ideas are bulletproof.

And they can spring from the most unlikely of sources.

A new book Justice for Jassi written by Vancouver-based authors, Fabian Dawson and Harbinder Singh Sewak, traces the life story of Jassi Sidhu, a beautiful, though unassuming, Canadian girl from Maple Ridge, BC who was murdered in India at the hands of her family.

The book – the first written on her tragic story – documents how she fell in love and married a man her family would not approve of.

It is narrated from the perspective of Jassi’s surviving husband Mithu, who since his wife’s death a decade ago has refused to re-marry and has continued fighting to see justice done for his wife.

The authors scoured through thousands of police and court records in Canada and India, as well as hours of tape interviewing officials. The book shows how her mother and uncle orchestrated Jassi’s murder from here in Maple Ridge – where they continue to live, despite being charged in Indian courts for conspiracy to commit murder.

Since the time of Jassi’s murder in 2000, the lack of a formal extradition treaty between Canada and India has hindered the pair being sent to India to face the charges.

Though Canada’s legal system has not given Jassi any justice, her followers on the Internet – there are thousands of people who have signed her petition at www.
justiceforjassi.com - have worked to spread her message and keep her legacy alive, if only to give her redemption.

Her message is as simple as it is pure and potent.

Love is the only thing worth living for.

And dying for.

Jassi believed so completely in love that at a tender age of 25 she sacrificed her life for it.

Her willingness to stand alone, knowing the dangers that lurked at every turn, make for an inspirational tale, as dramatic as any version of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet

And it is as epic as that of Terry Fox’s – another young Canadian who grew up near Jassi – and who made a solitary journey only to meet death head-on at a young age and on his own terms.

Understanding what drove Jassi, an optimistic and innocent young BC-born woman, to fight this uphill battle is at the heart ofJustice for Jassi.

Despite the death threats Jassi Sidhu faced from her family, she never wavered from her commitment to be with the man she loved.

She broke out of her confinement at home, borrowed money and escaped to India to be with him – leaving everything she knew in her life behind.

While in India she resorted to cloak-and-dagger measures to get away from vengeful assassins, even using valium to sedate family in order to sneak Mithu into her family compound.

In an uncertain world, with threats coming from her family and the scent of danger everywhere, love served as Jassi’s light.

She fought for it, right to the very brink and eventually over its crest.

Justice for Jassi gives readers access for the first time into her final chilling moments, as pieced together by countless hours of police interviews.

It was June 2000, and Jassi had been kidnapped by a group of killers hired by her family. They had just left Mithu for dead in front of her. She was badly injured and hysterical.

Nearby the killers drank and continued to threaten her.

They had her locked away in a remote farmhouse in the darkness of the Indian countryside, defenseless and at their whims.

In those moments, Jassi realised her end was near. The killers had their way with her and eventually tortured and sliced her apart with a sword.

But as the authors write, even during the final moments, Jassi’s belief never strayed as evidenced by the discovery of her body 33 hours after her death.

Her eyes were still open when her life closed, “as if to say to the sword, her uncles, her assassins and her mother - you can kill me, but you will never kill my love.”

For more go to www.justiceforjassi.com.

This article first appeared in The Vancouver Sun.

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A new generation of Canadians have found inspiration in Jassi’s story and her message of love. Her voice resonates with lessons from their own lives. Like Jassi, these are the people in their own lives who have inspired the message of love.
 

Agam Darshi
Actress/ series lead (Kate Freelander) on Sanctuary (Syfy/ Space)
My Nani-ji (grandmother) believed in the power of love and in the good of people.
Even after having passed away over 10 years ago, she is still remembered with fondness and joy.
She and Jassi have that in common.
 

Barinder Rasode
City Councillor, City of Surrey
Jassi’s message of love crossed borders, caste, economic status and the chains of family.
It revealed the goodness of her soul. In my life, Jassi’s unconditional love is reflected in the nurturing I received from my parents Jarnail and Surinder Sidhu.
It is a type of love that stands strong no matter what the challenge.

Zara Durrani
Host of Life and Style with Zara on Chek Channel 6 and Novus TV
My mother and grandmother’s message of love have been the most inspirational for me like Jassi’s.
As a young girl growing up in Pakistan, I was continually supported in my endeavours, even those that fell outside the realm of what was acceptable for a young Pakistani woman.
They instilled in me the message that I am capable of doing anything and being anybody I want to be, regardless of my ethnicity, religion or upbringing.

Meena Mann
Host of FMA Entertainment Weekly on KVOS-TV
In 2004, my best friend’s husband went into a coma due to an unfortunate bicycle accident.
Against all odds, my best friend spent four years taking care of her unconsciousness husband, believing that he will wake up.
And in 2008, her wish came true… her husband awoke and was in good health.
This tragic, yet joyful story is a great inspiration to never give up on love as Jassi did.

Rina Gill
CEO Hype Advertising Agency and entrepreneur
Growing up in Toronto with so many different ethnicities, inter-racial dating was common.
I knew of many people who dated but kept it hidden from their parents out of fear.
When it came time for me to marry, my family told me my happiness is what matters most and I would have their love and support no matter what.
They are the Jassi's in my life.

Shachi Kurl
BC & Yukon Director, Canadian Federation of Independent Business
Though Jassi’s life and plans were cut short, young women in Canada can draw strength from her.
Her message resonates beyond boys, love and marriage.
I see parallels between Jassi’s resoluteness and the values my mother has given me: perseverance, fearlessness and courage.
She always encouraged me to “go for it.”
In Jassi’s case it became a disgusting crime. But she never backed down.

For more information on the Jassi case go to www.justiceforjassi.com.