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TMC lawmaker claims student leader fell to death, triggers row
Four unidentified people allegedly murdered Anis Khan, a leader of the Indian Secular Front, in Howrah on February 19
Kolkata: A video in which ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislator Shaukat Mollah in purportedly heard claiming student leader Anis Khan fell to death while trying to come down from the second floor of his house using a pipe has triggered a row.
The comment came even as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up to probe into the alleged murder is scheduled to submit its report this week. “Police went to Khan’s house and spoke to his father. But Anis tried to come down the pipe and fell to death,” Mollah is heard saying in the video that surfaced on Monday. The video is believed to have been shot at a rally on March 5.
Four unidentified people allegedly murdered Khan, a student leader of the Indian Secular Front, in Howrah on February 19. His family has demanded a federal probe alleging police killed Khan. A home guard and a civic police volunteer have been arrested in connection with the alleged murder.
Khan’s brother, Shabbir, said there is no pipe where the student leader’s body was found. “Did the lawmaker visit our house? How can the legislator make such statements? Did the SIT submit its report to him?”
The Opposition parties have accused the state government of trying to suppress the facts by ordering the SIT probe. “When the chief minister [Mamata Banerjee] ordered the SIT probe we said it was an attempt to suppress the case. Now it is clear. The SIT has taken 15 days to tamper with evidence,” said Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI (M) leader Sujan Chakraborty.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dilip Ghosh said the SIT should first interrogate Mollah and question him how did he come to know that Khan fell to death. “He must have been at the spot.”
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said CPI (M), BJP and Congress leaders have come up with multiple theories on how Khan died and questioned why was Mollah alone being targeted. “If they are so concerned, they should have stopped others too from making any comments saying SIT probe is going on.”
The SIT on Monday visited Khan’s house again along with forensic experts.
