Haryana youth dies in Texas store fire; family spent Rs 50 lakh to send him abroad via donkey route

PTC Web Desk: In a heartbreaking incident that has once again spotlighted the deadly gamble of illegal immigration, Sukhwinder Singh (22), the only son of a farming family from Gangatehdi village in Karnal, died in a fire that engulfed a food store in Texas, United States, in the early hours of April 26. Vikrant, the store's owner and a permanent resident from Mohali, Punjab, who is survived by two children, also died in the incident.

According to Texas police, the fire spread with alarming speed while both men were asleep inside the premises after closing hours, leaving them no time to escape. By the time firefighters arrived and brought the blaze under control, the two had already lost their lives and the store had been completely reduced to ashes. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Sukhwinder's family had sold nearly a quarter-acre of farmland and spent approximately Rs 50 lakh to arrange his illegal passage to America through the notoriously dangerous "donkey route," a network of smugglers that moves migrants across multiple borders.

The victim's father, Sheeshpal, a marginal farmer, told reporters that the family had taken the painful decision to liquidate part of their land to raise funds for his son's journey. "I kept telling him not to go," said the grieving father, "but he wanted to improve the family's condition. He believed that if he could settle there, everything would get better." Sukhwinder had completed his schooling up to Class 12 and left for America approximately four years ago after months of gruelling, clandestine travel across multiple countries.

Once in Texas, he found work at the food store owned by Vikrant, with whom he had developed a close working relationship. The young man lived and slept at the store itself, a common arrangement among undocumented workers with limited housing options. On the night of the incident, both Vikrant and Sukhwinder had retired for the night at the store when the fire broke out.

A third employee who worked at the same store had stepped out that evening and was not present when the fire started. Upon learning of the tragedy, he rushed back and was the first to inform Sukhvinder's family back in India. The news plunged the village of Gangatehdi into mourning, with neighbours and relatives gathering at the family home to offer condolences.

Sukhvinder is survived by his father Sheeshpal, his mother, and two sisters — one of whom is already married. The family is now awaiting the repatriation of his remains.