The gruesome murd3r of an 80-year-old man near his home in Leicester, United Kingdom on Sunday evening, September 1, 2024 has been linked to racism.
Bhim Sen Kohli, a retired factory owner, was walking his dog in Franklin Park on the outskirts of Leicester when he was pelted with rocks and kicked in the neck and back by a group of youths.
He died in hospital as a result of a neck injury, post-mortem results indicate.
Neighbours told the police that some youths in the neighbourhood routinely targeted Asians, shouting obscenities at them.
Kohli, who is originally from Punjab in India, called the police recently following the activities of the youths who constituted a nuisance in the neighbourhood.
It was reported that it took three days for the police to respond to the complaints, checking up on Kohli and asking some questions.
Following his murd3r, five youngsters, two boys aged 14 and 12 and three girls, aged 14, 12, and 12, were arrested, but four of them have now been released without charge.
The 14-year-old boy remains in police custody, Leicestershire Police said.
Mr Morris, a friend paid tribute to Mr Kohli who ‘always had a smile’ and was ‘just a genuinely nice guy,’
He told BBC News: ‘I don’t understand any of this. He was a proper gent. I’m just sick – I feel quite sick about the whole thing.’
Detectives are ‘continuing to carry out enquiries to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident’, and are appealing for anyone in the area between 6 pm and 6:45 pm to come forward.
Detective Inspector Emma Matts, senior investigating officer, said: ‘The circumstances surrounding Mr Kohli’s death are extremely tragic and upsetting not only for his family and friends but also the wider community.
‘We continue to offer support to the family through our family liaison officers and the local policing teams are in the area to provide reassurance and discuss any issues or concerns. The family are aware of the significant public interest in the death of their loved one and would like to thank people for their kind words and sympathy. At this stage the family are asking for privacy at this extremely difficult time.
‘Our investigation into the assault on Mr Kohli remains ongoing. We continue to keep an open mind around the circumstances surrounding the incident as we work to establish what occurred in the park on Sunday evening. I would continue to urge anyone who can assist our investigation to come forward.’
The force added that the scene preservation in the park, where he was killed, has now been lifted.
Mr Kohli’s 1970s semi, where he lived with his wife Satinder Kaur, 73, is the second to last house before the park entrance, just yards from where he was attacked. He would regularly walk his 15-year-old black and tan crossbreed dog, Rocky, in the park.
His daughter said that her father had been left with neck and spine injuries after the attack. She told the Leicester Mercury: ‘They pushed him, they kicked him in the neck, kicked him in the spine.
‘He was about 30 seconds away from getting home. He’s always been very active – he has three allotments. We’ve lived here for 40 years.’ She described rushing to the park to find her father ‘lying under a tree’.
Neighbours and others living in the area said they had called the police in the last two or three months over gangs of youths abusing Asian residents and reported seeing them kicking cans and climbing on bungalow roofs.
They also said the children had thrown football-sized rocks at Mr Kohli. The large stones are used to stop people parking on grass verges in the quiet cul de sac but several were missing today.
One neighbour, who did not want to give his name for fear of reprisals, said: ‘Over the last two or three months there has been a group of youngsters, shouting and abusing Asian people.
‘I have seen it, I haven’t been always able to hear exactly what they are saying but it is clear what they are doing. The police have been called. It is awful. I don’t know why the are like this, you have to question the way they have been raised.’
Another neighbour, 50-year-old Frank Owen, said: ‘It’s only the last few weeks we’ve had this trouble with a bunch of kids. They’ve been playing up late at night. I’ve heard they were on a bungalow.’
‘It’s a cul de sac so unless you are coming here for a reason there is not much point unless you are going to the park.’
David Donahue, 75, a retired aircraft engineer from Pittsburgh in the US, who is visiting his sister-in-law, said: ‘We saw a group of youngsters kicking a can down the street earlier in the day. Well, we heard the noise then saw them.
‘My sister-in-law regularly walks in the park but has said she won’t now – she doesn’t feel safe.’
Mr Kohli was a retired factory owner and leaves behind his devastated wife, three children and two grandchildren.
Deep Singh Kalia, 70, a long-time friend and neighbour of Mr Kohli told the Sun: ‘He was such a lovely guy. It is a horrible shock. I would meet up with him every day. We were both originally from the Punjab in India.
‘He loved his allotment, and loved his dog, and loved his family. He used to own a factory that made jumpers and cardigans.’
Another friend, 55-year-old Graham Haldane, told the Telegraph that cops took three days to take a statement.
‘He was a lovely guy but was getting very frail. He had osteoporosis and could hardly move his neck’, he said.
‘He had three plots at the allotments and worked on them all year round. He had some bother a few months back with some kids who had climbed onto the flat garage roof opposite.
‘He challenged them and they dished out some abuse and spat at him. He rang the police about it but it took them three days to come round and take a statement.
Detectives have been working with local residents and are actively seeking witnesses who were in the park on Sunday evening to come forward.
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