In death, Bidve gets no rituals

The body of slain Pune student Anuj Bidve flown down on Saturday and cremated in Yerwada sans last rites, as 13-day mourning period elapses

Subhash and Yogini Bidve, already shaken by the death of their son Anuj due to an unprovoked assault in Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom on December 26, 2011, now have to contend with the grief of not being able to carry out any rituals as part of his last rites, as the body of the slain 23 year-old reached them thirteen days after his death, exceeding the period of mourning usually mandated by Hindu custom.


Pic/ Krunal Gosavi

The body was cremated at the Muktidham crematorium in Yerawada at around 7 pm, where hundreds of friends and family members gathered to pay their respects. This, after the Bidves flew down to India with his body on Saturday, after visiting the site where he was shot on Friday. Their son-in-law Rakesh Sonawane accompanied them.

Upon news of his death, Anuj's family had made repeated appeals to the Indian High Commission in Birmingham and investigating police officers of Greater Manchester, to complete the investigation as soon as possible so that his body could be repatriated in time to allow them to carry out his last rituals.

While Yogini Bidve was inconsolable, Shekhar Desai, Anuj's uncle told SMD, "Anuj's father Subhash is in too much in grief to perform his last rites. Besides the stipulated time to perform rituals is already gone, so family members have decided to not to perform any rituals."


Family and friends of slain Pune resident Anuj Bidve carry his body after
it was flown to his Chandannagar residence. Bidve was laid to rest in
Yerawada, some 4 km away. pic/ krunal gosavi

The Bidves first took the coffin to their residence, where several, including residents of their hometown of Shrirampur and their Chandanagar neighbours had gathered to condole the family. Anuj's classmates from Sinhgad College of Engineering were there as well. Politicians including MLA Bapu Pathare, BJP leaders Prakash Javdekar, Vinod Tawde, Girish Bapat, and Vikas Mathkari paid condolence visits to the Bidve family.u00a0

Anuj was studying micro electronic engineering at Lancaster University. He had left Pune, where he stayed with his parents in Chandanagar three months ago, to pursue a post-graduate degree at the University.

On December 26, he was visiting Greater Manchester with a few friends when he was shot at close range at 1.30 GMT.

UK national Kiaran Stapleton, 20, has been charged of his murder.

Earlier, a distraught Subhash Bidve told newspapers "It was really unfortunate that I lost my son. But as a father I hope this does not happen again because a lot of Indian students come here (UK) for their education."