Tushar Mulji Makwana (2 February 1967 – 12 February 2004) was a British radio personality of Indian descent. He was killed in a
hit-and-run
In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the criminal act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions.
Additional obligation
In many jurisdictions, there ma ...
incident during a botched robbery attempt at his home in
Solihull
Solihull ( ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe in the Arden, Warwickshire, Forest of Arden ar ...
, England.
Early life
The youngest of three children, Makwana was born in
Jinja, Uganda
Jinja is a city in the Eastern Region, Uganda, Eastern Region of Uganda, located on the north shore of Lake Victoria.
Location
Jinja is in Jinja District, Busoga sub-region, in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is approximately east of Kampala, ...
, of Gujarati Indian descent. His family moved to
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales
* The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...
when he was four years old after they and many other Asians were forced out of Uganda under
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 30 May 192816 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until Uganda–Tanzania War, his overthrow in 1979. He ruled as a Military dictatorship, ...
's regime.
[ Aircheck Tracker Legends](_blank)
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Interested in radio from a young age, Makwana ran a mobile disco
Mobile disc jockeys (also known as mobile DJs or mobile discos) are disc jockeys that tour with portable sound, lighting, and video systems. They play music for a targeted audience from a collection of pre-recorded music using vinyl records, c ...
as a teen and helped teach other youngsters about broadcasting. His first experience of broadcasting was as a volunteer at Walsall Hospital Radio, where he once held the position of chairman. Makwana worked in banking before beginning his radio career.
Radio career
Makwana became involved in professional radio whilst working at a credit analyst in London.Radio Northwick Park
Radio Harrow is a local charity radio station for Harrow, London, England, promoting health and wellbeing within the local community through its broadcasting and NHS befriending service. Registered charity number 1161203.
Charitable Objectives
...
in Harrow. He also worked at Walsall Hospital Radio presenting their Friday late show and also held the committee position of Presentation Training Officer. Makwana quickly progressed and he soon left Radio Northwick Park to work for AA Roadwatch providing travel bulletins for the BBC.
In 1997 Makwana moved to 100.7 Heart FM
Heart North East is a regional radio broadcasting, radio station owned and operated by Global Group, Global as part of the Heart (radio network), Heart network. It broadcasts to North East England.
History Century Radio
Century Radio was the ...
to present a variety of different shows on Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings using just his christian name as his on air brand. He also presented the hugely popular "Kick up the 80s". In 2002 Tushar won a Silver Award at the Sony Radio Academy Awards
The Radio Academy Awards, started in 1983, were the most prestigious awards in the British radio industry. For most of their existence, they were run by ZAFER Associates, but in latter years were brought under the control of The Radio Academy ...
for a show he had presented about UB40
UB40 are an English reggae band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the Grammy ...
.
Death
At approximately 4.20 am on 9 February 2004, a group of teenagers broke into Makwana's house at Wasperton Close in Castle Bromwich, Solihull in an effort to steal the keys to his BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...
parked outside. Makwana confronted the intruders, chasing them out of the house, but was knocked down by their getaway car and suffered serious head injuries. He was taken by ambulance to Heartlands Hospital and was later transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital where his wife, Deepika, began a bedside vigil. Makwana's severe injuries resulted in the decision to turn off his life support
Life support comprises the treatments and techniques performed in an emergency in order to support life after the failure of one or more vital organs. Healthcare providers and emergency medical technicians are generally certified to perform bas ...
system was made on 12 February.[
On the tenth anniversary of his death, friends and colleagues, including Heart Breakfast presenter Ed James and his ]BBC Radio WM
BBC Radio WM is the BBC's local
radio station serving the West Midlands.
It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at The Mailbox in Birmingham.
According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 193,000 ...
counterpart Pete Morgan, paid tribute to Makwana.
References
External links
Profile of Tushar Makwana on Aircheck Legends
{{DEFAULTSORT:Makwana, Tushar
1967 births
2004 deaths
British radio personalities
British radio presenters
English people of Indian descent
English murder victims
People murdered in England
Gujarati people
People from Jinja District
Ugandan emigrants to the United Kingdom
British people of Indo-Ugandan descent