Indian Student Shot Dead in Manchester

An Indian student, who was studying at the Lancaster University in Manchester, was shot dead in Salford in Manchester on Monday, police said.

Anuj Bidve, 23, was with nine other Indian students when they were approached by two men, reports The Telegraph.

They had a brief conversation, and a man suddenly pulled a gun and shot Anuj on his head. The gunman was described as white, in his 20s and of slim build.

"This is a tragic incident and our first thoughts are for the family. There is going to be a huge amount of concern in the community and I can reassure the family and the community by telling them we have launched a major investigation and no stone will be left unturned until we find the people who are responsible for this," Chief Superintendent Kevin Mulligan, divisional commander for Salford, was quoted by The Telegraph.

According to the BBC, the gunman was wearing grey top and his associate was well build, wearing black jacket. Both the men fled towards Asgard Drive after shooting. The police said that other male and female students, who were staying in a nearby place to enjoy the Christmas break, have given their witness statements and were in a 'safe place' with police until they returned to the University safely.

Anuj's parents, who live in India, have been informed about his tragic death.

Kevin said that he did not want to go into the details about the conversation the students had with the gunman.

"This appears to be an unprovoked attack and we can't establish a motive at this time. We are investigating every possible aspect and we are in the early stages of the investigation, but we are not ruling anything out," he was quoted by BBC.

Meanwhile, the Lancaster University has confirmed that Anuj was a postgraduate student, studying micro-electronics. "Our thoughts are with his family at this time, and counselling and support has been organised for his fellow students who are deeply upset," a university statement has reportedly said.