Anuj Bidve family will have to wait for over two weeks for the body - India

27 dec 2011

Bidve family will have to wait for over two weeks for the body

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Anuj Bidve’s parents and his brother-in-law Rakesh Sonawane (left). Photo: Special Arrangement

Anuj's mother who was inconsolable throughout this correspondent's interaction said: The police should have contacted us directly when they took him to hospital. We thought the U.K. is a safe place for our son.

Almost two days after his son was shot dead in Manchester, Mr. Subhash Bidve has only one request: to get his son's body back. Twenty-three-year-old Anuj Bidve, who hailed from Pune, was shot dead by two unidentified men in Salford, Greater Manchester, early on Monday morning. While the family is yet to come to terms with the loss, their anxiety only increased when they were told by the authorities that bringing back the body to India will take more than two weeks owing to the long procedure and Christmas vacations.

Anuj was studying MS (microelectronics) at the Lancaster University and was spending his Christmas vacations in Manchester with nine other Indians when he was shot. He was an alumnus of Sinhgad College in Pune.

“The Indian Embassy in U.K. is meant for Indians in situations like this. We were told that the process to bring back the body will take two to four weeks. What is the embassy doing? Who is the government meant for?” Mr. Bidve asked, speaking to The Hindu on Tuesday evening.

“All we want the government to do is to take up the issue seriously and give us the body,” he stated.

“Ever since we got to know of the death, every passing hour has become difficult for us. We cannot wait for two more weeks to get the body. We want to at least perform our son's final rites. What did we do to deserve this?” Mr. Bidve asked. He said the Greater Manchester Police “is kind of cooperative” but has said the process is getting delayed because of the Christmas vacations. “We are told that the coroner is on vacation till tomorrow [Wednesday]. She has to give a death certificate after which the police can decide if they need the body for further investigations,” Mr. Bidve's son-in-law Rakesh Sonawane stated.

Mr. Sonawane stated that the news of the death reached the family only through Anuj's friends who tried to contact the family through Facebook on Tuesday afternoon. Anuj's mother who was inconsolable throughout this correspondent's interaction said: “The police should have contacted us directly when they took him to hospital. We should have been told first. We thought the U.K. is a safe place for our son.”

Mr. Sonawane said he had contacted the Personal Secretary of S.M. Krishna, External Affairs Minister, who had assured him that the Indian embassy “will do the needful.”

Mr. Bidve said no official of the Maharashtra government had come forward to help the family get Anuj's body soon, and to secure justice. “I request the Maharashtra government to take up the issue, for the sake of every person who dreams of going abroad,” he said.

“As the family waits for the body, the feeling that the vacations are more important than a person's life is becoming more persistent,” Mr. Sonawane said. He stated that he has been now assured by the Indian embassy and the police that the investigation will be completed as soon as possible

Mr. Sonawane said eyewitnesses told him that while the group of nine people was walking out for dinner, two “white men” had asked for the time. “After an exchange of words, one of them pulled out a gun and shot Anuj in the head. The police arrived on the scene and took him to hospital where he was declared dead.”

Sarang Kulkarni, also a student at the Lancester University, was with Anuj in Manchester at the time of the incident. He told The Hindu in an e-mail that he was an eyewitness. He, however, said: “I don't think I am at liberty to discuss the matter individually. You may contact the press office of the university and the greater Manchester police for information.” Mr. Kulkarni also hails from Pune.

Mr. Bidve said his son was a football enthusiast and had gone to Manchester on Christmas vacations from Lancaster to visit the football club's famous stadium. He had last spoken to him on Christmas.