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14 November 2009 I begged my son to come home...24 hours later he was brutally murdered
GETHIN CHAMBERLAIN in Delhi and Gavin Madeley AN air of deep melancholy descends as Dr Devender Mohanty recalls his final conversation with his son. Kunal Mohanty had been in Glasgow sitting his exams to qualify as a captain in the Indian merchant navy, but his father was keen for him to return home as soon as possible to tend to his pregnant wife. "I said, come home soon... I told him I'd get his ticket if he came sooner. He said no, he had already booked a return ticket..." The doctors voice trails off. Less than 24 hours after hanging up the receiver on their long- distance phone conversation, Kunal Mohanty was bleeding to death in a city street, his throat cut by a thug motivated by pure racism. Earlier this week, the killer, 25- year-old Christopher Miller, was jailed for a minimum of 18 years after a jury at the High Court in Glasgow found him guilty of racially aggravated murder. The court had seen ghoulish CCTV footage of Miller celebrat- ing like a footballer as he and a friend fled the scene. The trial judge told Miller his crime was as incomprehensible as it was evil. Yet, according to the victims family, such racist encounters were far from uncommon as their son had complained of an undercurrent of menace during previous visits to Glasgow. And Dr Mohanty claimed his elder son had chosen to return to Glasgow to complete his studies in spite of being targeted due to the colour of his skin on at least two previous occasions. In one incident, 31-year-old Kunal and his friends were sur- rounded and racially abused in similar circumstances to the night on which he was killed. Dr Mohanty, a senior medical officer with Indias Border Secu- rity Force, said while he did not blame Scotland for the manner of his sons murder, he criticised the criminal justice system over Millers sentence, insisting life should mean life. And he spoke movingly about the devastating personal conse- quences of the murder made worse by news that Kunals wife, Shelly, was now estranged from the family and had elected to undergo an abortion. Speaking to the Scottish Daily Mail from his home in Jalandhar, Punjab, Dr Mohanty, 61, said his saintly sons death had felt like a curse from the Gods. "This was not the first time my son had gone to the UK. It was the fourth time. He was there for one month," he said. "Of course, he always felt there was an undercurrent of racism. Twice or three times he and his friends were surrounded by Scottish people and racially abused. There was always a fear of racial attack. But he liked Scotland. He sent home many photographs and souvenirs." He said his son, like many middle class Indians, had been determined to travel and to make something of himself. "We Indians, we want to prove something. My two sons and I want to show that we are as good as anybody. That we are no less than you," Dr Mohanty added. He said Kunal had chosen to return to Glasgow, even though he was normally based in Singapore. "He used to travel all over the world. He had gone to Scotland for a particular reason, for the examination. He liked the country. The same exam is available in India and Singapore, so why would he go to Scotland unless he liked it? "I am bound to say there is no better place than my country but that doesn't mean I dislike any other country. No country is bad. No religion is bad, no colour is bad. I should say that I love Britain and the British people. And even though he was raised a Hindu, Kunal would always carry a photograph of the Virgin Mary and he would wear a Christian cross." At Miller's trial, the court heard how Kunal had taken time off from studying at the Glasgow College of Nautical Studies to go out for a meal with three friends. At about 9.30pm on March 27, they ran into Miller in the Gorbals area, where the Scot called Kunal a black b*****d. When the naval officer refused to rise to the bait, Miller slashed him across the throat with a knife. "How can someone stab my son in the neck like that without warning?" asked Dr Mohanty. "He [Miller] then went to a restaurant and said, I've done a Paki, I killed a Paki. My son was killed because he was Indian, because his colour was black." Dr Mohanty said his family was disappointed that Miller had not received a more severe sentence. "I don't have any personal grudge against anybody or against your country. In fact, I am grateful to Scotland's investigating authorities, they have done a wonderful job, but my contention is that he should have been given a stiffer punishment. It would have served as a deterrent to others who might consider committing a racial attack. "I know my son is not going to come back and that it is up to you what your law says. But my feeling is that for people who carry out racial attacks without any provocation, life means life. It should mean he dies in prison and that he will never be released to harm others." Kunal's mother, Suman, 57, said she wished Scotland had retained the death sentence, which is still available to Indian courts. "How much money will be wasted keeping this man locked up in prison? How many families have been affected? In our family alone, we have lost our son, our daughter-in-law, our grandchild. It is hard to describe how much agony we are going through. "These people are animals who should be eliminated from society. That boy, Miller, how much harm has he caused us and society? "We are not saying that Britain is bad. These kinds of incidents also happen in India and in other countries. I certainly don't blame Glasgow and we are satisfied that the courts were able to deliver their verdict so quickly." Born the elder of two boys in 1978, Kunal Mohanty was educated in Delhi, where he proved an intelligent and diligent child, regularly coming top of his class. Raised as a Hindu, his parents taught him to respect others. "My son is no more," said Dr Mohanty. "I know every father and mother will always speak well of the departed, but my son was an extraordinary boy. He was a good son, a good brother, a good husband. "He was always a good student, the best in his school in RK Puram in Delhi. He excelled in science. I wanted him to be a doctor like me but he wanted to be in the merchant navy. "His mother was a science lecturer at college. After we were married, she quit her job to concentrate on raising our sons. Our universe was built around our two sons. They were her everything, my everything." As Kunal was growing up, the boys moved around India frequently, following their fathers postings. "Everywhere we went, they lived on army campuses. Kunal led a very sheltered life. He only went out with me in a car, or a Gypsy (military jeep). After school, he was interested in joining the merchant navy. So he went to Chennai to begin his training." A non-smoker and non-drinker, Kunal first arrived in Glasgow in 1999 after opting to further his qualifications at the city's College of Nautical Studies. It was the first of four such visits over the coming decade. Staff remembered a likable and industrious student and Dr Mohanty singled out the kindness shown by his tutor, Derek Robbie, in the wake of the murder. "I have told him if he comes to India, he must come to my house," he added. In 2002, Kunal joined a major shipping firm in Singapore and his career appeared to be set fair. He would ensure that most of his salary was sent back to his mother. He would have earned up to 60,000 during his seven years service but had only 70,000 rupees (about 1,000) in his bank account when he died. "You can imagine what sort of boy he was," said his father. "He gave everything to his mother. He was godly, he was a saintly boy." The couple's modest bungalow, with its neatly manicured front lawns, is festooned with souvenirs picked up by their son on his many travels. A hefty model ship from France dominates the simple furnishings of the living room, along with masks and exotic wall hangings from Brazil. Dr Mohanty said: "When he got married two years ago it was an arranged marriage he went on a honeymoon to Kerala because I told him 'You're in the merchant navy now, youll see the whole world. So you should see your own country while you have the chance. "He's seen Delhi and different parts of India. But when he was growing up, whenever the family went out, he used to stay home watching videos I bought him. "He would watch them after his exams. He'd say, I want to see movies, and I'd say, 'Whatever you want to see, Ill bring them.' "I got him Tom and Jerry, so many video tapes. He liked to read Amar Chitra Katha [comics on Indian legends, myths, historical figures], Phantom, and Commando comics. "He was a nice boy, a nice man, a nice husband. They killed a nice man. "Ask anybody in Delhi, ask any officer in Delhi, ask anyone about my son, my sons, they'll tell you they're very good boys." In March this year, Kunal returned to Glasgow to embark on the final stage of training to obtain his captain's licence. It was to prove a fateful decision. Kunal was due to fly home on April 8 after sitting his exams on March 30. Both parents are distraught at the effect Kunal's murder has had on his wife, Shelly. The couple had been living in the Mohanty family home in Jalandhar, but Shelly, 25, has since moved out. "I don't want to talk about his wife. That is our family's matter, we don't want to discuss anything about it, you are not aware of the culture," said Mrs Mohanty. Dr Mohanty added: "She is not with us any more. She had an abortion in May. Sorry, I should not have said that. You know how a young lady would feel, if her husband has just died. She's gone from us. I don't want to hurt us more or cause her any more hurt." Mrs Mohanty said they, too, would never recover from their loss. "The person who killed him has got his punishment. If it happened in India, the decision would not have taken place so quickly. "Justice was quick, what more can we ask for? But of course, our son is not going to come back."
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