A week after Anuj Bidve, 23, was killed in Manchester, a team from the Greater Manchester police visited his family in Pune on Monday and cleared the doubts in the minds of the family members. The team assured them that justice would be ensured to Anuj, the family members told reporters after the two-hour visit.
Chief Superintendent Russel Jackson, family liaison officer Peter Christal Rickards and Shireen Mistry, head of communications and public affairs, British Deputy High Commission, Mumbai, visited the grieving family in the evening.
The family, which was waiting for the police to answer many questions and allay several apprehensions, stated that it had “complete trust and confidence” in the Manchester police.
Personal contact
Speaking to The Hindu after the visit, Ms. Mistry said the visit was to make a personal contact with the family and offer them every support it needed.
She stated that the family raised concerns about the fact that they got to know about the incident seven hours later, and that too, through Facebook. “The circumstances around the incident were explained to the family. We are extremely unhappy about the manner in which the family had to find out about their son's death. The measures taken by the Manchester police to communicate with the family were discussed in person,” she stated. However, Ms. Mistry did not comment when asked if the police had apologised about it.
Ms. Mistry said the police were taking the matter “extremely seriously.”
Apology
Speaking to The Hindu , Anuj's brother-in-law Rakesh Sonawane said the police apologised. “They told us that it was not right, and was not done in the right fashion. However, they told us that they had been looking for the right person to approach the family.”
Asked about the motive for the murder, Suruchi Wagh, Anuj's cousin, said the police told them that it was a case of an “unprovoked attack.”
“They had not ruled out the possibility of it being a racial attack, but right now told they told us that it was a motiveless crime,” Ms. Wagh told reporters.
She said that while four persons had been released (three on bail), one was charged with Anuj's murder. “The case will be heard in the Crown's court on Tuesday, and a trial date will be given,” she said.
A second post-mortem will be done by an independent pathologist, and if both the reports match, Anuj's body will be handed over to the Funeral Officer at the Indian High Commission, Ms. Wagh said. “According to the police there is no delay in the repatriation as it is a part of the investigation process. The family's greatest concern remains getting the body back as soon as possible.”
Assuring face-to-face
An official statement from the Greater Manchester police said: “We need to explain to them in person where we are up to in the investigation and what we are doing to ensure Anuj's body is released to them as soon as possible. Having this conversation face-to-face is absolutely the right thing to do.”
“We know the family members are extremely distressed that Anuj's body has not yet been returned to them. We have been in close contact with the coroner, who is anxious to release Anuj's body to his family at the earliest possible time. This remains a complex investigation and the fact we have charged someone does not mean the investigation is complete,” the statement said.
