Categories
Communalism Rule of Law

Kolkata: Student unions protest the alleged murder of activist Anis Khan

Khan had alerted police that his life was in danger, and was allegedly killed on Friday night

Protest marches
Image Courtesy:telegraphindia.com

Protest marches took place in Kolkata over the weekend, seeking justice for slain student leader Anis Khan’s family. The family, according to news reports, has accused the police of being involved in the case.

On Saturday protesting students of Aliah University “fought a pitched battle” with the police in the city’s Park Circus area when their rally to protest Khan’s unnatural death was stopped from moving past a barricade in Padmapukur area, stated news reports. Around 500 protesters marched holding lit candles from the varsity campus in New Town to Entally to protest student leader Anish Khan’s death.

According to news reports, a section of protesters tried to move past the barricade put up by the police near Padmapukur and a fight broke out between the two sides. Police told the media that the situation was “quickly brought under control, though some of the protesters blocked a part of the road, bringing traffic to a grinding halt that evening.” The protesters told the media that they will take out another march to Nabanna on Tuesday.

Khan’s family and fellow activists have alleged that a few people, who were wearing “police uniforms”, entered Khan’s residence at Amta in Howrah on Friday night, and forcibly took him to the terrace and allegedly “pushed him down”. They stated that the student leader “was killed for trying to build an anti-establishment movement.”

Anis Khan (26) hailed from Sarada South Khampara, and was an alumnus of Alia University where he earned an MBA degree. As a student of Bagnan College he was also an SFI activist, and was now a member of Indian Secular Front (ISF), a political party formed in West Bengal in January 2021. His family has alleged that four people came to their house late on Friday night and “one of them was wearing a police uniform.” The family claims that the men “went to arrest Anis” in connection with an old case. They accused the men of “pushing Anis from the third floor.”

According to local reports, Anis Khan was known as someone who would respond to anyone seeking help and had according to Anis’s family, a complaint of one such incident had been lodged at Bagnan police station when Anis was still a student. However they said that no summons were issued for so many years. 

On Friday Anis attended a party in the neighbourhood, and returned home at 1 A.M, his family told the media that the “police” allegedly raided his house at that time. Local portals reported that Anis’s father opened the door and was not aware that his son had returned home from the event and told the police that Anis was not at home. Allegedly, the group “pushed Anis’s father away and went up to the third floor,” as per some news portals. 

Local activists also shared details a police complaint that had been filed by Anis Khan at Amta, Howrah, last year alleging “forcible closure of blood donation camps by the ruling party” and seeking “urgent action” to investigate “subsequent violence”.

The complaint in Bangla was translated by local activists to read thus: “ Sir, I am Anis Khan, a resident of Sarada Dakshin Khan Para village under Amta police station.

For your information, a blood donation camp was organised in our village on 22/5/21. On behalf of Public Health Protection and Rights, Uluberia Sub-Division Howrah. I was the main initiator of this initiative. Led by Malek Khan, the deputy head of the gram panchayat (Kushberia gram panchayat) and local Trinamool booth president, and his son Masood Khan, and some of their followers, I was publicly threatened that the blood donation camp could not be held, otherwise the result would be very bad. They ask me, “Why did our party get votes in this election other than the grassroots?” I have to take responsibility for that.” And keep threatening me. There are also many more false allegations.”

Anis’s complaint further says, “Then, at about 7 P.M that day, the men stormed my house and verbally abused me, my elderly father and the women of the house and one of my sisters, kicked me in the door and threatened to kill me. The next day he left me at home. Since then, those people have been continuously attacking…” He added, “My family and I are in a state of great insecurity and fear that they could kill me and my family any day.” He asked police to “take appropriate legal action against the assailants and take immediate action as required by you to ensure the safety of my entire family. The way they are following me, it is not possible for me to go to the police station, so I sent this letter of complaint through post.” 

He marked copies to: 1) SP (Howrah Rural) 2) BDO (Amta 2no) 3) SDPO (Uluberiya SD) 4) SDO (Uluberiya SD) 5) DM (Howrah) 6) Home Secretary (WB) 7) Governor (WB) BAPDR (WB State Committee) 9 Janaswasthya Surokhsha O Adhikar Mancha (Uluberiya SD., Howrah) 7) Chairperson, Human Rights Commission (WB) 6) Chairperson, Women Commission (WB) 29/5/21

Related:

Police crackdown on student protesters in Delhi, Kolkata
Open letter to our secular Muslim friends in India
Anti-CAA-NRC protests in UP: Horrors of a police-state

Exit mobile version