The Windsor woman stabbed to death on Tuesday was an outspoken critic of a contentious Indian separatist movement — and she recently posted a video on social media stating she feared for her safety.
LaSalle police said Wednesday that Nancy Grewal, 45, of Windsor, was stabbed to death Tuesday at a home in LaSalle. Grewal was a social media influencer and anti-Khalistan activist.
Her death has begun attracting news media attention from India and around the world.
Grewal, who has also worked as a personal support worker, said Nov. 11 in one of her only English-language posts that a man had recently poured gasoline on her front door and set it on fire.
She said she was making the rare English post so that all “white Canadians” would understand it. “I’m a Canadian citizen, but I don’t feel safe in this country right now,” she said.
“I believe God saved me. God saved my life. Nothing happened to me. Nothing happened to my house. Everything is going good. I just called the cops. I know who this person is. This person belongs to Khalistan.”
“I feel scared. He tried to give me a warning. ‘Shut your mouth. Don’t raise your voice about this topic.’”
Grewal said she reported the incident, and other alleged complaints against the man, to Windsor police.
The Windsor Police Service would not confirm Thursday if they had any previous interactions with Grewal. They directed the Star’s questions to the LaSalle Police Service.
LaSalle police would not comment on Grewal’s claims on social media that she had been threatened or about her involvement in the anti-Khalistan movement.
As of Thursday, police had not said whether they have any suspect identified or taken into custody as part of their homicide probe.
“Investigators are confident this was not a random act of violence,” LaSalle Chief Michael Pearce said in a statement. “Ms. Grewal’s murder is being investigated as an intentional act against her.
“All information is being considered. While we recognize the significant public interest in this case, we will not share information that will compromise the investigation, including leads, tips, and investigative avenues.”
LaSalle police and paramedics responded to a report of a stabbing shortly before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 2400 block of Todd Lane. They found Grewal suffering from stab wounds and rushed her to hospital, where she “succumbed to her injuries.”
“I lost my sister, my strength, my forever friend,” Grewal’s sister, Renny Preet Grewal, wrote on social media. “Rest in peace, my sister. You will always live in our hearts.”
The India Canada Association Windsor and Essex County declined to comment.
“It is very sad to hear about the loss of Nancy Grewal’s life,” the association replied in an email to a request for comment from the Star. “We are not in the position to make any comment. Thank you.”
Grewal was a vocal critic of the Khalistan separatist movement and repeatedly spoke out against its leaders.
The movement, dating back to 1947, wants an independent Sikh state carved out of India. The Indian government sees the movement, responsible for violent insurgencies in the 1970s and 1980s, as a national security threat.
The movement has supporters among Sikh emigrants, including many in Canada. The movement was at least partially behind the rift between the Canadian and Indian governments that erupted in 2023.
Indian officials have repeatedly accused Canada for failing to address “Sikh extremism.” Reported harassment of Indian diplomats and other officials by pro-Khalistan supporters had also been a contentious political issue between the two countries.
Grewal was outspoken about Canada-India tensions, according to the Times of India.
She had targeted Khalistan separatists Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and Amritpal Singh, and criticized former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s handling of diplomatic tensions with India.
She had 13,000 followers on Instagram and 9,000 on YouTube. Most of her hundreds of posts are in Punjabi.
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The Indian Express reported that Grewal was originally from Narangwal village in Ludhiana. She moved to Canada in 2018. Grewal reguarly challenged separatist ideologies and often referred to proponents as ‘Khotaistanis’ or fake nationalists, the website reported.
The outlet also reported that Grewal’s 70-year-old mother, Shinderpal Kaur, is planning to travel to Canada this week to perform her daughter’s last rites.
“The radicals objected to her content and had an enmity with her,” Kaur reportedly told the website. “Two months ago unidentified miscreants set her house on fire,” and she “reported to the police.”