Vijay Bhatia, 64, drove for Blue and White Taxi in London. He had driven a taxi for 20 years. "Every single positive characteristic or behaviour you could find in a person, you could find in this gentleman -- in Vijay," said Hasan Savehilaghi, president of Yellow London Taxi. "He was super responsible as a citizen. He was highly dedicated to his family." At around 1 a.m. on Saturday, April 29, 2017, Mr. Bhatia picked up a young couple and drove them to a convenience store on Wonderland Road. When they arrived the 23-year-old male refused to pay the full fare and got into an argument with Mr. Bhatia. The dispute was captured on the taxi's security camera. "The guy got into Vijay's face, I don't know why," said Jason Kukurudziak, owner of Blue and White taxi, who downloaded the video footage for police. The male passenger became even angrier when his female companion offered to pay the remainder of the fare. Cell phone video capured by a witness showed the man beating Mr. Bhatia outside the cab and shouting racial slurs. The couple left Mr. Bhatia lying on the ground in the convenience store parking lot and fled to a nearby apartment building. While they were waiting for an elevator the man assaulted the woman, who was the mother of his child. Several people witnessed the attack on Mr. Bhatia and called police. The victim, who exhibited no vital signs, was taken by ambulance to hospital where he was pronounced dead. Mr. Kukurudziak raced to the scene when alerted by the Blue and White dispatcher. He passed the ambulance carrying Mr. Bhatia on the way there. More than 500 people attended Mr. Bhatia's funeral on May 4. In driving rain and chilly winds about 100 mourners walked to the convenience store parking lot under a canopy of umbrellas, carrying unlit candles, bouquets and a picture of Mr. Bhatia. The killer was first charged with second degree murder but an autopsy revealed the Mr. Bhatia died of a heart attack brought on by the stress of the assault. The physical injuries he suffered were minor. As a result the charge was reduced to manslaughter. [Next column]

Vijay Bhatia (Source: London Free Press, October 20, 2018) While awaiting trial the killer underwent open-heart surgery to repair a valve damage caused by substance abuse. At sentencing Justice George Orsini remarked, "the irony of this is not lost on the court." Court heard that the killer's mother drank and used drugs while pregnant and that he was passed through several foster homes between the ages of five and sixteen. The killer was sentenced to four years for manslaughter. He was also sentenced to 90 days for assaulting his girlfriend, to be served concurrently. Mr. Bhatia was the first London taxi driver to be slain on the job since Joseph Pasztor was murdered in 1985. Ironically, the London city council voted in February, 2017, not to require Uber vehicles to carry security cameras.