As two members of the Bidve family prepare to go to the U.K. to get Anuj Bidve's body back, they are still waiting for an official word on how long it will take to complete the legal process.
Anuj's brother-in-law Rakesh Sonawane stated that the Manchester Police informed him that the time required depends on when a second post-mortem is conducted. “According to the U.K. law, the second post-mortem is conducted if the accused requests for one after criminal charges are filed against him/her. Since the investigation is still on, this cannot be done,” Mr. Sonawane said.
He stated that in some cases, the coroner can ask for a post-mortem to be conducted by an independent pathologist, which can later be used by the accused. “We want to know why this cannot be done in Anuj's case,” Mr. Sonawane said, expressing the hope that the case is not stuck in red tape. “We would like to urge U.K. authorities to work through the holiday weekend and help us,” he said.
Mr. Sonawane and Anuj's father Subhash Bidve applied for an emergency visa on Thursday, and are hopeful of getting it approved by Saturday.
Mr. Sonawane also met Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who assured him to take up the issue with External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna. Mr. Sonawane said the Ministry of External Affairs had assured them they would help to expedite the process. “The Ministry has also informed us that the cost of getting the body back to India will be borne by the Consulate in Birmingham and our cost of travel and accommodation will be borne by the Ministry.”
He said the Manchester Police informed him on Thursday that a fifth arrest had been made in the case.
