TIMELINE: Jassi Kaur Sidhu

Jaswinder (Jassi) Kaur Sidhu was born in Maple Ridge, B.C. on Aug. 4, 1975. Less than 25 years later, her body would be found in an irrigation ditch in India, her throat slit. A year earlier, she had secretly married Sukhwinder Singh Sidhu against her family’s wishes. She was the victim – some said – of an “honour” killing. Here are some key dates in the case.

1995: Jassi Kaur, a beautician from a well-to-do family, visits the Punjab region of India with her mother, maternal aunt and uncle. She meets Sukhwinder (Mithu) Singh Sidhu, a poor rickshaw driver. They fall in love. A friend agrees to act as a go between to help the pair communicate after she returns to Canada.

1995-99: The long-distance love affair continues as Jassi Kaur keeps in contact with Mithu Singh Sidhu through the mail. The letters are delivered by a friend. They manage the occasional phone call.

January – February 1999: Jassi’s family goes to India to arrange her marriage. She refuses to marry any of the prospective husbands.

Mar. 15, 1999: Jassi and Sidhu marry secretly and spend their first night together in a hotel.

Apr. 19, 1999: Jassi registers the marriage in India.

June 1999: Jassi’s family learns their daughter has married Sidhu against their wishes. Her relatives demand that she divorce him.

February 9, 2000: Jassi begins the process of sponsoring her husband as an immigrant to Canada.

Feb. 10, 2000: Jassi’s uncle, Surjit, has an affidavit drawn up that accuses Sidhu of forcing Jassi into their marriage. Jassi’s is confined to her Uncle’s home in Maple Ridge, B.C.

February 23, 2000: Based on the affidavit, Indian police investigate Sidhu and two of his friends for kidnapping Jassi.

Mar. 8, 2000: Jassi contacts Indian police insisting that she was never kidnapped.

Apr. 3, 2000: Jassi complains to the RCMP in Maple Ridge, B.C. that she has been threatened and struck by her uncle.

Apr. 6, 2000: The RCMP escort Jassi out of the family home after she calls and asks for help.

Apr. 13, 2000: Jassi leaves for India.

June 7, 2000: Jassi’s mother contacts Jassi and Sidhu at his grandparents’ home, where they have been hiding. After deciding the call was an effort to reconcile, Jassi tells her mother where the couple will be over the next few days.

June 8, 2000: Jassi and Sidhu are attacked by a gang. He is badly beaten and left for dead. He’s taken to a hospital where he tells police that his wife was kidnapped.

June 9, 2000: Jassi’s body is found in an irrigation ditch. Her throat had been slit.

July 9, 2000: Indian police arrest 11 men in connection with Jassi’s death. They say it was a contract killing.

July 11, 2000: Indian police issue arrest warrants for Jassi’s mother and uncle.

January 2001: Sidhu says he fears for his life after gunmen shoot at his home and he is almost run over while walking down the street.

2004: Sidhu is accused and convicted of sexually assaulting a woman. He spends four years in jail. He is released when the woman recants the allegation and says she was paid by one of Jassi’s uncles to lie.

June 2005: The RCMP say there is an ongoing investigation in the case. Initially, they said they had no jurisdiction over crimes committed in India. Police later said that if a crime was planned in Canada and committed elsewhere, they would investigate.

Oct. 21, 2005: Seven men are convicted for murdering Jassi and trying to kill Sidhu. Indian authorities say Jassi’s uncle and mother got away with murder. They had alleged that the pair hired the hit men and orchestrated the killing.

Jan. 6, 2012: Police in Maple Ridge, B.C., arrest Malkit Kaur Sidhu, 63, and Surjit Singh Badesha, 67, in connection with the murder of Jaswinder Kaur Sidhu in India 11 years earlier. They are being held pending an extradition hearing. It could take years before they face trial in India.