London: The New Year has begun with bad news for Indians in Britain, mainly of the crime variety, with members of the community figuring prominently in murders and deaths, starting with the fallout of the unprovoked killing of Anuj Bidve, a day after Christmas.
As Bidve`s killing sent shock waves among parents in India whose children are currently studying here, or are considering sending them here from the next academic year, at least three more high profile cases turned Indian journalists based here into crime reporters during the last two weeks. Britain is considered one of the safest places to study or live, and university officials have exerted to reassure Indians students and parents of their safety.
Efforts are continuing to ensure that the Bidve killing does not lead to less applications from potential students in India and elsewhere at a time when deep funding cuts makes income from international students vital for the survival of subjects departments in many universities.
As Bidve`s family visited the spot of his killing in Salford, an unnamed Asian was subjected to group and racial assault during an attempted robbery nearby on January 3. The Asian ran off after being assaulted by the person on the bike, but the group chased him and later all four assaulted him. He was punched about the head and subjected to racist abuse, the police said.
The Greater Manchester Police, whose handling of the Bidve killing has been appreciated by the family and others, remained busy with another incident, when a British Asian of Indian-origin, Gurdeep Hayer, was reported missing since January 2.
He had travelled from West Bromwich to Manchester to celebrate New Year eve with friends. More than a week after he was reported missing, as friends and family put up posters in Manchester to help trace him and the police scoured CCTV footage, Hayer`s body was found in River Medlock in the city centre.
Another recent case that shocked the Indian community was the double murder last week of Birmingham-based Avtar Singh Kolar and his wife Carole Kolar. Their bodies were found by their police officer son, Jason Kolar, from their house in a locality described as `posh`.
There was a grim irony behind the couple`s murder because they reportedly sold a house in Goa because they worried that India was `unstable`.
There are now little signs of stability outside their house, where a police tent has been put, shocked residents lay flowers and message, and the news media jostle for space.
An Indian-origin person was again in the news for the wrong reasons, this time from the hallowed academic environs of the University of Oxford.
Devinder Sivia, a Mathematics lecturer, was initially suspected to have caused the death of his close friend and colleague, noted astrophysicist Professor Stephen Rawlings last week.
Sivia, whose parents have roots in Punjab, has since been defended by Rawlings` wife, who asked that he should not be "tarnished" for her husband`s death.
After his arrest on January 12, Sivia has been released on bail, without any charge. Senior Labour MP Keith Vaz, who interacted with the Bidve family during their visit here to collect Anuj`s body, says visitors to Britain "deserve the best", and has called for efforts to ensure more safety for international students.
Commending the efforts of the Greater Manchester Police for its handling of the Bidve case, Vaz wrote: "But we need to try even harder. After the trial, we need a full and comprehensive report of exactly what happened so that everyone can know the full facts.
But, above all, we want a swift and fair trial so that the criminal justice system will match the great dignity of the Bidve family. Nothing less will do".
PTI