The West Bengal government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged murder of Anis Khan, a student leader of the Indian Secular Front, in Howrah on Saturday.
The SIT has been formed under the leadership of chief secretary and DG and it will submit a report within 15 days.
Addressing a media conference here on Monday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said: “The government will conduct an impartial inquiry. I spoke with the DG and he has already arranged a forensic report. The incident is unfortunate.”
Khan’s father, Salem, said around 12.30am four persons came to their house and identified themselves as policemen from the Amta police station. “One of them was with me on the ground floor. He was carrying a firearm. The other three took my son upstairs. Moments later, I heard a huge thud and found that my son was lying in a pool of blood. As I raised an alarm, all the four fled.”
Khan’s family alleged that he was thrown off from the second floor of their house and demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. Khan, a student of Aliah University and a prominent face in the anti-National Register of Citizens protests, was earlier a leader of the Students’ Federation of India.
The Chief Minister further said: “We had good communication with Anis. He kept in touch with us. He also helped me a lot in the election. He is our favourite boy. The incident will be investigated.”
Bengal politics is in turmoil over the death of Anis. CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty said: “A young boy, a protesting boy, a student leader has been killed. It is state murder. We want justice.”
BJP leader Agnimitra Paul said: “There is a demand for a CBI probe into the incident. If that investigation is done, it will prove that the police are involved in the incident.”
Minister Pulak Roy visited Khan’s house on Monday morning and faced protests from the villagers.
According to the police, Khan’s body fell from a height of 23 feet. They are yet to receive the autopsy report.
Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court has intervened in the case and sought a report from the state administration by Tuesday.