Dubai: A former president of the Indian Association in Dubai was killed in a tragic road accident in Canada on Monday.
Canadian online newspaper cp24.com reported that former Dubai resident Jasjit Singh Jaaj, 73, had gone out for an evening walk in Missisauga, Toronto when he was hit by a truck.
Jaaj was rushed to hospital with life threatening injuries and was pronounced dead a short while later.
Local police reported that the victim was crossing a six-lane road and not using a designated pedestrian crossing at the time of the accident.
Jaaj, an alumni of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade in New Delhi and a member of the Law faculty in Delhi university, was a popular socialite in the Dubai expatriate community, who was known to be culturally active in many projects, holding a series of high profile corporate jobs.
His last position in Dubai was as Group CEO of an international realty firm.
Friends recalled him for his intelligence and sense of humour.
Businessman Surinder Singh Kandhari, said, “The first time he came to Dubai, in 1977, he paid me a visit at home. I found him to be a very genial and forthmcoming. As the president of the Indian Association, he worked hard to update all activities and make the association very relevant with a busy cultural calendar. He and his wife Goldie moved to Canada last year to be with their sons and their families, but he always made time to travel to Dubai. It’s very tragic that his life was cut short by this accident. I pray to Almighty that his soul rests in peace.”
Businessman Ram Buxani also expressed his shock and sorrow at the tragic death of Jaaj.
“He was an extremely social and affable individual full of energy and enthusiasm,” he said. “In the course of four decades he spent in Dubai, Jaaj was very active in the Indian community promoting Indian culture and as president of the Indian Association he really breathed life into the group. No one could have imagined that he would go away so soon. He was always brimming with ideas.”
Since all members of the Jaaj family have moved to Canada, no one was immediately available for commnent.
