One year has passed since a young international student drowned on the Hobart waterfront after allegedly being pushed into the River Derwent.
Deepinderjeet ‘Deep’ Singh, 27, died on January 29, 2024, in what police suspect was a botched robbery attempt targeting the handbag of the woman he was with.
The woman managed to swim to safety and call for help, but Singh, who couldn’t swim, did not survive.
A 17-year-old boy from Goodwood was charged with manslaughter and aggravated robbery in connection with Singh’s death.
Three others, including a 17-year-old and 19-year-old from Berriedale and a 25-year-old woman from Lenah Valley, were charged with aggravated robbery.
It is understood their cases remain before the courts.
The tragedy sparked calls for stronger hate crime laws, leading to a petition being tabled in Parliament. The state government is now working on new legislation.
Multicultural community representative Mala Crew paid tribute to Singh on the anniversary of his death on Wednesday.
“His parents sent a healthy and handsome son with hearts full of pride and hope to study at UTAS,” she shared online.
“Alas, he was returned to his home in the Punjab region of India in a body bag.”
Crew, who spearheaded the hate crimes petition in response to Singh’s death, said she was grateful the government had taken her recommendations seriously.
“Deep’s short life will make a difference for future generations of marginalised communities,” she said.
“My heart goes out to his family, friends and colleagues.”
