An Ontario Provincial Police constable who was killed on duty last week was remembered for his dedication, bright energy and love for his family and coworkers at a funeral in Mississauga.
Const. Tarun Bali of Brampton was “a positive force of energy,” who showed up on his first day at the Dufferin OPP detachment in a bright baby blue suit, said Sgt. Jay Moore.
“You were never one to shy away from the spotlight, so it seems only fitting that you got the whole shebang,” he said, adding Bali created a close bond with his platoon.
“He didn’t just build friendships, he built a family.”
Thousands gathered in Mississauga for Bali’s funeral after he was fatally struck by a vehicle last week in the northern Ontario town of Hearst, as police tried to stop a man who had escaped from a hospital. An 18-year-old has been charged with first-degree murder in the case.
Komal Sharma Bali described her husband “as a light” that lives on in everyone he knows.
“Tarun was my best friend, my safe place, my greatest love, my home,” she said. “He somehow made the heaviest days lighter.”
Hindu prayers and devotional music echoed through the Mississauga Sports and Entertainment Centre, where the 29-year-old’s funeral service was held.
The shuffles of feet and whispers were the only sounds that followed the procession of Bali’s casket out of the centre. The uniform and Ontario flag on top of the casket were handed over to his family.
Moore said through the years he began to see Bali as an adopted son. Bali fondly called him “Papa Moore” and his wife “Mama Moore,” he said.
“Although you were viciously taken from us with malice and hate, you showed us all how to live pride, courage and, above all else, love,” said Moore.
Sharma Bali shared a special message to the Dufferin officers, saying he loved them wholeheartedly like family.
She urged the officers in Hearst and James Bay to be kind to themselves, saying that is what Bali would have wanted.
“You did everything that you could in that moment,” she said. “Our very best efforts can’t change the outcome and that’s not your fault.”
On Thursday morning, hundreds of police officers marched under a Canadian flag hoisted above a road at the funeral procession. Rows of people stood under the beating rain, saluting as officers on motorcycles and black vehicles passed by.
The bond within the shift officers was unmatched and Bali had “an endearing sense of duty,” said OPP Chief Supt. Karl Thomas at the service.
“Tarun was a glue, holding the group together through every challenge,” he said.
Chief Supt. Jon Dumond said Bali worked with 11 different attachments, from Ottawa to James Bay, and encouraged other young officers to do the same.
Bali went above and beyond the duty he was sworn to, through acts such as volunteering with Peel Region’s volunteer services, said Lieutenant Governor Edith Dumont.
His family had shared that he had dreamed of becoming a police officer since he was a child, she said. A photo displayed at the funeral showed Bali saluting in uniform with him as a child saluting in the same way.
Premier Doug Ford promised the family that Bali would be remembered for his sacrifice by Ontarians.
“We know he approached his work with professionalism, compassion and dedication,” he said.
Bali is one of two officers killed on the job in the province this month. Const. Marc Pinizzotto, a Toronto police veteran, was shot dead last week during a raid linked to investigations into multiple shootings, including one at the U.S. Consulate in March.
