Indian landlady in Canada held after tenant’s ‘harassment’ over barbecue use | India News

An Indian-origin woman was arrested in Canada following a dispute with her tenant over the use of barbecue at the rental property, with videos showing the confrontation going viral on social media.The tenant, who posted a series of clips on his Instagram page named Tiwana Farm Servivor, accused his landlady of repeatedly harassing him and entering his rental unit without his consent. The videos show tense encounters between the two, with the landlady also seen trying to physically assault the tenant.HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos. The videos provided the tenant's account, but could not fully establish the circumstances around the dispute.Also Read | Canada to allow temporary workers to study for 6 months without permit; here's how Indians can benefit from new ruleHow did the dispute begin?The argument reportedly began over the tenant's use of barbecue on the rental property, with videos showing the landlady stopping him from doing so. The landlady, identified as Raj, was heard saying that the use of barbecue had led to “burns” on the side of her house, while the tenant replied saying it was “rust.” As the argument was seen getting heated, the tenant was heard saying, “I'm 50 years old. If I want to have friends here and make a dinner, I will. You're the only one disrupting the peace.” Meanwhile, the landlady said she had to “protect her property from damage.” A friend of the tenant, who was reportedly recording the video, told the landlady, “We're just trying to have dinner over here. You're ruining our dinner.”In another video, the landlady is seen taking a piece of wood and trying to remove patties from the barbecue grill, following which the tenant and his friend intervene. When the landlady refuses to leave, the tenant picks up his food and walks off the spot. Tenant alleges landlady changed lock, men entered his rental unit illegallyAmong the videos shared by the tenant, one of them purportedly shows the landlady getting the locks of his rental unit changed. Another video shows four men entering the unit. One of them, after seeing the tenant, says, “He's here.” Following this, all four men are seen hurrying out of the house.“What are you guys doing in my unit? You know it's illegal. Get out of my unit,” the tenant says. The men then walk out of the house, while the landlady is seen sitting inside her four-wheeler parked outside. “You go, I'm calling the police,” she is heard saying to the men in Punjabi. She further shouts at the tenant, saying, “Stop making movie, it's illegal.”A third video shows the woman entering the tenant's unit and throwing a rock at him. “You're assaulting me with rocks?” the tenant is heard shouting. She then tries to stop the tenant from making the video by shoving his arm, and picks up an object in an attempt to hit his friend.Also Read | 'In India I have nothing': Family forced to leave Canada after 8 years as asylum and humanitarian bids failPolice arrests landladyIn one of the final videos on the tenant's social media account, the police turns up at the landlady's house. The cops ask the landlady to step out and take her phone and keys. “Raj, right now, you're under arrest,” one of the cops is heard saying.While the cops tell the landlady that the tenant's belongings were still at the unit, the latter says, “They left the house…there was nothing they left.” She further says, “I have to call my daughter. I have to call my lawyer.” However, the cops are seen handcuffing the woman and taking her to the police car. The tenant then tells the police that his belongings, including some shoe boxes and shirts, were in the rental unit. “We'll have a chat with her. We would need consent to enter,” the cop is heard telling the tenant. In a separate post made thereafter, the tenant urged people to not threaten or harm anyone involved in the incident, saying the page had been created to “raise awareness.”