The 23-year-old Indian university student who was shot dead by a white gunman in Salford, Greater Manchester, on Monday in an “unprovoked” and suspected racially motivated attack has been identified as Anuj Bidve from Pune, Maharashtra.
A friend of Anuj’s, Sonakshi Saran, wrote on his Facebook page that he “was killed for not answering a simple question - What's the time?”
Anuj was reportedly using his mobile phone GPS to find his way when he was approached by the gunman described as white, in his mid-20s, of slim build and wearing a grey top. Another man, who was with him, was described as of heavier build and wore a black jacket.
Anuj who had come to Britain in September described himself in his Facebook profile as an “easy going guy” who “loves to have fun”.
“It was his dream to go to the UK but unfortunately his dream could not last longer than three months,” his brother-in-law Rakesh Sonawane said from his home in Pune.
Police remained reluctant to disclose the details of the “very short conversation” between Anuj and the gunman minutes before the murder.
They also insisted that nothing racist appeared to have been said during that exchange but were not ruling out a racial motive.
“There is obviously speculation about why this young man was killed but at this stage it would be wrong to rule anything out or comment on that speculation while the investigation is in its infancy,” said Chief Superintendent Kevin Mulligan, as two teenagers were on Tuesday arrested in connection with the killing that has sent shockwaves through the local Indian community.
Anuj, who was a postgraduate micro-electronics student at Lancaster University, was holidaying in Salford with a group of nine other male and female Indian students over the Christmas break. According to police, they were heading towards the City Centre around 1.30 a.m. when they were approached by two men in Ordsall Lane, a busy street, near Ordsall Estate which has a history of vandalism. After a short exchange, one of them pulled out a gun and shot Anuj in the head from close range. As Anuj’s friends watched in horror, the two men fled. He was declared dead in hospital.
A post-mortem examination showed that he died as a result of “gun trauma” to the head.
His father, Subhash, who works for an energy company, appealed for help in speeding up the process of returning his son’s to India.
“Please help in getting Anuj Bidve's dead body back to India. We appeal to all his friends in U.K. and India to help spread the word,” he wrote on his son’s Facebook wall.
Police described it as “a wide-ranging and complex investigation” as they continued house-to-house searches and review CCTV footage.
“I have said previously I believe the answers as to who committed this awful murder lie in the community, and we have had an excellent response from people who share our abhorrence at what happened and want to see the killers brought to justice,” said Ch. Supt. Mulligan.
Lancaster University said Anuj’s fellow students were “deeply upset” and were being given “counselling and support”. His friends planned to hold a “peace march” in his memory.
