Anis’s father Salem Khan at his house. (Sweety Kumari) As protests seeking justice for slain activist Anis Khan intensified in the state, the Congress, BJP and the CPI (M) Sunday hit out at the ruling TMC and called his death a “pre-planned murder” and that it was planned under the “influence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.”
The 28-year-old activist was allegedly killed on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday night after being thrown off the third floor of his house by four unidentified persons in Howrah district’s Sarada Dakshin Khan Para village in Amta area.
The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has been staging protests across West Bengal to protest Anis’ death. The student organisation has also warned of a bigger movement if the culprits are not caught within five days.
In a protest on Sunday, SFI and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) supporters blocked traffic on the bridge between Dhakuria and Golpark.
They later also gheraoed the Amta police station and raised slogans against the police and the state government. CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Bhattacharya, who was also a present during the protest outside Amta police station, demanded a probe by an independent agency and said that the SFI may move the High Court to seek justice for Anis.
“Anis was not only fighting for the common people but he was also against the state’s plan to sell off Aliah University. It’s a pre-planned murder and this has been conspired under the influence of CM Mamata Banerjee. Anis was known for raising voice and leading movements. His death is not just one sporadic incident,” said Bhattacharya.
Anis had completed a Diploma in Information and Communication Networking from Aliah University in 2014-2015.
Congress State president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also alleged that his death was a “pre-planned murder”. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the West Bengal Government over the incident and questioned the role of the police.
“Political murders in Bengal aren’t anything new. The truth behind Anis’ death must come out and the case should be investigated properly. If it is not murder but a suicide then that should also come out. In Bengal, police are busy harassing and chasing BJP members, hence there is no law and order in the state. The CM is busy visiting Goa and UP,” said BJP’s National Vice President Dilip Ghosh, while referring to the CM’s recent visits to the poll-bound states.
Taking a dig at senior CPI (M) leader Sujan Chakraborty’s statement that Anis was killed in a police encounter, he said, “Sujan Chakraborty had said that Anis was killed in an encounter by the police. I am not aware of such encounters in Bengal, otherwise criminals wouldn’t roam around.”
“A young leader was killed by the police. Four men in police uniforms climbed up and killed him. It’s encounter by the police. The police minister (referring to the CM) must answer,” Chakraborty had said earlier.
Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari held the TMC responsible for the student-activist’s death.
At the same time, TMC leaders showed full faith in the police and said that the culprits would be arrested.
“There is no point in protesting, whoever is involved has to be arrested. The police must dig and find out the facts. It could be a conspiracy. Why did Anis die suddenly? Who all are behind his death must be investigated. I had a word with the SP and I asked him to identify the real mind behind the case, and arrest them, produce them in the court. Let the court punish the persons, so that such incidents never occur in Bengal,” said West Bengal Transport Minister and Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor Firhad Hakim.
Meanwhile, a delegation of SFI leaders met Anis’ family on Sunday. SFI General Secretary Mayukh Biswas, who was a part of this delegation, said, “Anis was killed in a cold-blooded manner. The boy’s crime was that he organised a blood donation camp in the area which the TMC and BJP were opposing. Why didn’t the police let any family member stay during the autopsy of Anis’ body? The police have conspired to suppress the matter. We want a judicial inquiry into this murder.”
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