Prayer chants could be heard at the San Jose Sikh Gurdwara as at least 60 San Jose community members gathered for a candlelight vigil for 8-month-old Aroohi Dheri; her mother Jasleen Kaur, 27; father Jasdeep Singh, 36; and uncle Amandeep Singh, 39, who were kidnapped and killed in Merced on Oct. 5.
The Sikh family members ran their own trucking business and were kidnapped at their place of work, according to an Oct. 7 CNN article.
Gurdwaras, which are Sikh places of worship, have been holding vigils around the Bay Area in respect for the family throughout this week.
Sikhism is a religion from the Punjab region in India, according to the Britannica encyclopedia.
Sukhdev Singh Bainiwal, member of the Sikh Gurdwara Management committee, organized the event and said he was deeply saddened and disturbed by the kidnapping and killing of the family.
“We wanted to put a platform together where [everyone] can all come together and grieve in this sorrowful moment and, you know, let their frustration out," Bainiwal said.
Many from the Sikh community feel as though they have been coming together to grieve frequently, especially as there has been an increase in hate crimes against Sikhs in recent years.
Sikh hate crimes have increased by 82% from 2019-20, according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s report on the FBI’s hate crimes statistics.
Many who came to the vigil expressed feelings of distress and outrage.
“We don't want this to be a pattern," said Meher Singh Nagpal, San Jose State engineering senior and Sikh Student Association board member. “We have to defend ourselves. That shouldn't be something we have to do, but we have to because there's no change happening in the system.”
Many speakers, including Harbir Kaur Bhatia, advocated for self-defense classes to be taught at local Gurdwaras.
“But we can control and make sure that we are being the best Sikhs, best residents of this nation, of these communities,” Kaur Bhatia said. “We have that right . . . Do not let these beautiful souls be just another number. Please use them as a reminder that you must go out and learn self defense.”
The suspected killer Jesus Manuel Salgado was arrested on Oct. 6 on four counts of murder and kidnapping, according to a Oct. 7 CNN article.
His brother, Alberto Salgado, was also arrested on charges of accessory, conspiracy and destroying evidence, according to the CNN article.
Jesus Manuel Salgado was able to own a firearm despite previously being convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2007 for armed robbery and possession of a controlled substance, according to the same CNN article. He was released early on parole in June 2015. His parole ended in June 2018.
Some San Jose Police Department (SJPD) officers came to support the Gurdwara and pay respect to the family.
“Words cannot describe how every member of our department is mourning just like everyone here,” SJSU Capt. Brian Spears said.
Other local leaders including California state Senator Dave Cortese, who came from Sacramento, and Matt Mahan, San Jose City Councilmember and mayoral candidate, also gave speeches.
“We need to seek assurances that our leaders are going to take actions to make sure that we are safe to make sure that families like this family in the future would be safe,” Cortese said.
Mahan said the city isn’t doing enough to address mental illness or identify the signs so SJPD can appropriately intervene to give people the help they need.
“When someone's repeatedly committing crime driven by a behavioral health issue, we need to be able to have alternative interventions to jail," Mahan said.
Throughout the night, many people from all backgrounds came to give their respects to the family. A small memorial with the faces of the Dheri family members was displayed on the ground surrounded by candles.
One family held up posters that contained photos of the family in black and white, with “R.I.P.” captioned onto them. One of the posters contained a QR code to a GoFundMe page to help fund the funeral for the Dheri family.
Amanpreet Uberoi, an SJSU electrical engineering senior, said members of the Sikh community want to see change, as well as mourning about this tragedy.
“It seems like a repeated cycle of something bad happens to our community, and then we're out here giving our prayers and then nothing happens to change the events that's happened," Uberoi said.
Meher Singh Nagpal said the sights of the vigil were powerful.
“This is a very lively temple for a lot of people, a lot of people come here to pray every Sunday, every day of the week, really,” Singh Nagpal said. “So seeing, you know, this entire community, silenced and listening to these words is just, it's pretty heavy.”
