The tragic case of 80-year-old Bhim Kohli, who was killed in a brutal assault while walking his dog, has drawn significant attention due to allegations of police negligence. Kohli’s death occurred on September 2, 2024, one day after he was attacked by a 14-year-old boy in Franklin Park, located in Braunstone Town, Leicestershire. This incident followed a prior racially motivated assault that Kohli had witnessed two weeks earlier, which involved another individual being targeted by two other boys. Kohli’s daughter, Susan Kohli, has raised serious concerns about the police’s failure to act on information that could have potentially protected her father.
The shocking details of Bhim Kohli’s death reveal that he suffered prolonged violence, including punches and kicks from the 14-year-old boy, while a 12-year-old girl recorded the attack on her phone. Bhim Kohli was aware of the earlier attack on August 17, where another Asian man was assaulted. Frustratingly for the family, it was reported that Leicestershire Police identified the alleged attackers shortly after the earlier incident but did not make any arrests until after Kohli was murdered.
Susan Kohli voiced her deep distress over the police’s inaction. According to communications she received, the police attributed their failure to arrest the two boys responsible for the previous assault to a combination of staffing issues due to shift changes and the constraints of a bank holiday weekend. This has led her to speculate that if the police had prioritized these incidents, her father could still be alive.
Amidst the anguish, details surfaced that both juveniles involved in her father’s murder were subsequently convicted of manslaughter, with the boy sentenced to seven years in custody and the girl receiving a three-year youth rehabilitation order and curfew. The justice system’s treatment of these minors raises further questions among community members and security agencies about the effectiveness and sufficiency of consequences for youth offenses that escalated to violence resulting in death.
Susan Kohli’s calls for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to review the investigation reflect a broader call for accountability and transparency in policing practices, particularly in addressing anti-social behavior in community spaces like Franklin Park. There was a notable shift in her tone as she confronted the police’s explanations, stating their failure to follow up was unacceptable and that community safety should not be compromised, especially when the lives of vulnerable individuals are at stake.
An internal report generated by Leicestershire Police identified areas needing improvement within their organizational response to logging and addressing anti-social behavior incidents. The report did not find evidence of misconduct that directly led to Bhim Kohli’s death, a conclusion Susan Kohli vehemently disagrees with. She emphatically stated, “There’s a lot that they could have done, but they chose unfortunately not to.” This sentiment echoes within community discussions calling for a reevaluation of police practices and how they engage with incidents of violence and hate.
The IOPC has reviewed the police response and determined that officers had acted proactively but also recognized the need to improve how incidents are recorded and managed to deter future occurrences. It was, however, revealed that complaints of similar nature continued to surface after Bhim Kohli’s tragic death, leading to ongoing concerns about security in the neighborhood.
Amidst these developments, a renewed legal inquiry has been initiated regarding the juvenile’s sentence for manslaughter under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, emphasizing the community’s demand for stricter consequences in cases involving violent crimes against the elderly. The overall case serves as a heart-wrenching example of how crucial timely police action can be in preventing tragedy and protecting vulnerable members of society.
As the community mourns Bhim Kohli’s untimely death, this case highlights pressing issues surrounding race, policing practices, and the imperatives for accountability within law enforcement that resonate far beyond Braunstone Town, prompting national discussions about policing and community safety in the UK.
