Watch as family of man murdered in a Bedford park talk about the devastating impact of knife crime

Ashish Nahar died of a single stab wound to the heart after he was attacked while sitting on a bench in Jubilee Park, Bedford in June last year. He was 25.

A 16-year-old boy was convicted of his murder and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 14-and-a-half years.

Now his family has spoken out about the devastating impact of knife crime in a short film as part of the county’s Just Drop It campaign.

Released today, 'Ashish's Story' – which you can view above – shows the perspective of his family and close friend Josh, who witnessed his murder.

Ashish’s mum, Anita Nahar said: “It hasn’t been easy, reliving the worst days of mine and my family’s lives, but I have to believe that by doing so Ashish’s death was not in vain.

“It’s sad to think of the number of times this has and will be said by mothers grieving their sons, but knife crime has to end.

“Ashish was a blessing in every sense of the word. That blessing was taken from us in a cowardly attack on a young man who was just finding his way in life and reaping the rewards of a fresh start.

“To say we never saw ourselves being in this position would be a huge understatement, but as a family, we want to see change and if it takes sharing our experience and calling for young people to ‘Just Drop It’, then that’s what we will do.”

Just Drop It, led by the Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit (VERU), gives victims the chance to share their experiences to help deter young people from getting involved in knife crime.

The campaign is just one of the activities taking place across Bedfordshire this week as part of Operation Sceptre – a week of action against knife crime.

Police will be conducting targeted weapons sweeps and carrying out test purchases in shops to ensure knives and other potentially dangerous weapons are being sold legally. The force is also calling for people to surrender their weapons in one of the county’s 11 weapons bins.

Superintendent Alex House, leading on violence prevention for Bedfordshire Police, said: “The VERU’s Just Drop It campaign is an incredible initiative that we at Bedfordshire Police are proud to support.

“We must all do our part to tackle knife crime and take dangerous weapons off our streets. We look to weeks like these to put a concerted effort behind showcasing the year-round work being done to tackle violence and knife crime in our county.

“Just one family affected by knife crime is a family too many, as can be seen by the devastating impact Ashish’s death had on his family. We will not let up in our actions to reduce knife crime nor our enforcement against those that perpetuate it.”

Visit the website to find out more about the Just Drop it campaign.