HC for murder charge in Rizwanur case

Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed the CBI to initiate fresh investigations and register a murder case in the mysterious death of computer graphics teacher Rizwanur Rahman. It also ordered that the probe be completed within four months.

Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed the CBI to initiate fresh investigations and register a murder case in the mysterious death of computer graphics teacher Rizwanur Rahman. It also ordered that the probe be completed within four months.

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Quashing the CBI’s earlier chargesheet filed against Rizwanur’s father-in-law Ashok Todi and four others, Justices Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Prasenjit Mandal directed the agency to treat the complaint lodged by Rizwanur’s brother Rukbanur at a Kolkata police station on September 21, 2007, as an FIR and submit the report before the magistrate.

Rizwanur was found dead near railway tracks in the city on September 21, 2007, just a month after his marriage to Priyanka Todi.

The reinvestigation order — coming 12 days ahead of municipal polls in West Bengal — may become a shot in the arm for the Trinamool Congress.

In the panchayat polls of 2008 and last year’s Lok Sabha elections, the Trinamool had used the Rizwanur death case to substantial success. Minority votes — between 4 to 7 per cent — had swung away from the Left towards the Trinamool.
“We had been demanding since 2007 that the case be treated as murder. We feel vindicated now,” said Rukbanur, who is a Trinamool candidate.

Lauding the verdict Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee, who was Rukbanur’s counsel, said: We feel vindicated… and are happy that our ... demand ... has been accepted.”

Todis’ advocate Dipnarayan Mitra, however, said he will take decision of moving the Supreme Court after examining the judgment. The state is also likely to appeal to apex court.

The judges also indicted the police for summoning Rizwanur and Priyanka to the police headquarters. “The cops had no business to interfere with the couple’s marriage.”