A Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the West Bengal Government to probe the death of a student leader on Tuesday submitted a progress report on its investigation before the Calcutta High Court. The investigation report was submitted in the court of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha. The lawyers appearing for the State government said that the investigation was nearing completion and the charge-sheet can be filed soon.
The 82-page report was accepted and taken on record by the court. Though the contents of the report are not yet public, the court directed that the matter will be taken up for hearing again on Monday.
The Calcutta HC is considering a petition by the deceased’s father, Salem Khan, along with a suo motu petition initiated by the court into the death, and on February 24 said it is expected that no stone would be left unturned over the course of the investigation.
Anish Khan, a 28-year-old student leader, died in the early hours of February 19 this year. The family members of the student allege that he was killed and have been demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Khan’s has father said that four persons barged into their house at Amta in the early hours of February 19 and threw Anish from the second floor of the house. Mr. Khan had said that of the four persons, one was in police uniform and the other three were in in civic volunteer dress.
The SIT was constituted by the State government on February 21 and is headed by Additional Director General, Criminal Investigation Department, Gyanwant Singh.
Khan’s body had to exhumed for a second post mortem at the instructions of Calcutta High Court, and his mobile phone was sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Hyderabad so that its contents be produced before the court. Two police personnel — Home Guard Kashinath Bera and civic police volunteer Pritam Bhattacharya — posted at the Amta Police Station have been arrested in connection with the death.
The development also comes at a time when the Calcutta High Court has recently directed the CBI to probe a number of cases, including violence at Bogtui in Birbhum, the murder of a Congress councillor at Jhalda in Purulia, and the rape and subsequent death of a minor at Hanskhali in Nadia.
