Police on Friday announced a reward of £50,000 to find the killer of the Indian university student Anuj Bidve and apologised for the delay in informing his family about the tragedy after his father Subhash Bidve complained that they first learned about it through Facebook.
“That is not the way anyone should have to find out something so devastating and we completely understand how upset the family are, Assistant Chief Constable Dawn Copley of Greater Manchester Police said.
Voicing the family’s anguish that they were not immediately informed of Anuj’s murder, Mr. Bidve told the BBC: “Nobody official from the U.K. Government or consulate or the Indian Government called us and told us about this. I am really surprised because they confiscated his phone and must have known his father’s or mother's number. They could have called us and told us what had happened to him.”
Mr. Bidve also protested over the time British authorities were taking to release his son’s body and said the uncertainty of not knowing when they could perform his last rites was causing great anguish to the “shattered” family.
Police insisted that everything was being done to “respect the family’s wish” for early release of Anuj’s body.
Mr. Bidve said: “The last four days we have been feeling so much trauma because we are yet to know when Anuj can come back. We are really worried. All family members are worried about it. Everyone at home, they are all shattered and waiting for his remains to do all religious things.”
Anuj was killed by a white gunman in Salford, Manchester, on Boxing Day in a suspected racially motivated attack. Police are treating it as a hate crime though they insist that there is still no direct evidence to establish a motive.
Announcing the reward, Ms Doyle called the murder “an extremely unusual, savage and motiveless attack, an absolutely horrific crime.”
“We absolutely understand the need to take whoever is responsible for this off the streets. That's the reason we are issuing (the reward) it now at such an early stage.”
Earlier, Mr. Bidve said getting his son’s body repatriated to India was his “only concern”.
“We do not have a specific date or time frame when it can be done and do not understand it. We find it difficult and it is not accepted,” he said in a choked voice.
Police said they were working closely with the coroner to ensure the family could take Anuj’s body to India “as soon as possible”.
“The body cannot be released at this stage of the investigation but we are doing everything we can to respect the family's wish,” Ms. Copley said.
Mr. Bidve said the perception was that his son had been a victim of racism. “I do not know, my family do not know and the reasons for his killing we do not know. In Pune and other places it is assumed that this could be the racism or a hate crime.”
A postgraduate student at Lancaster University, Anuj was on holiday with his friends when accosted by two white men, one of whom ended up killing him after reportedly asking him for time.
Three of the five persons arrested over the killing were released on bail.
Local residents described the murder as a “disgrace” to the area. “It’s sick what has happened – absolutely disgusting,” one resident said as people left flowers and cards at the spot where Anuj was killed.
“We don’t think living here will ever be the same. We hope you don’t blame us all,” read the message on one card. Dr. Bharati Kar, general secretary of the Greater Manchester Bengali and Hindu Cultural Association said racism was now far less a problem in the area than before.
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