Family of 25-year-old murdered in Bedford take a stand against knife crime
Ashish Sachdev Nahar was murdered from a fatal stab to the heart
Last updated 26th Jan 2024
The family of Ashish Sachdev Nahar, who was murdered at a park in Bedford, are taking a stand against knife crime.
The stabbing happened last June at Jubilee Park, off Canvin Way in Bedford, at around 8.45pm.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, Ashish's aunt, Sheetal Lodhia, said: "This 16-year-old came by and just took one stab at him in his heart, and obviously with that we lost our nephew. My sister lost her first-born son."
"It can actually happen to anyone how it did to my nephew, completely unprovoked, it was middle of summer, still light, quite close to a main road."
"The whole thing, the whole scenario, just doesn't feel real."
"...I don't think they realise the impact it has on their life, and I don't just mean the immediate life..."
His family have, since, spoken up about the dangers of carrying knives and the impact it has not only on the victims and their families and friends, but also on the families of the perpetrators and the defendants themselves.
Ms Lodhia said: "They're doing it to one individual, physically, stabbing one individual. I don't think they realise the impact it has on their life, and I don't just mean the immediate life having to potentially serve a prison sentence."
"Just looking at the person who's done the crime we've got their family; how does it impact them, losing their son?"
"...we've had our first Diwali, we've had Ashish's birthday, we've had our first Christmas and New Year, and all these celebrations just didn't feel right."
Since Ashish's death, his family have had to face some difficult times with constant reminders of who they lost.
"It's been such a difficult time; we've had our first Diwali, we've had Ashish's birthday, we've had our first Christmas and New Year, and all these celebrations just didn't feel right", added Ms Lodhia.
Through Bedfordshire Police's social media, Ahsish's family was able to share their story while reiterating the overarching message of the dangers of carrying knives through a video message.
They are supporting the Police's 'Just Drop It' campaign, which they hope can inspire a change.