Salaam Khan, father of the 28-year-old slain student-activist Anis Khan, has agreed to attend the test identification period of the two men arrested in connection with the murder of his son after initially resfuesing to be a part of any investigation.
The TI parade was to be held at the Uluberia, where the arrested home guard Kashinath Bera and civic volunteer Pritam Bhattacharya, have been kept.
Till late on Friday afternoon, the elder Khan had refused to cooperate with the special investigation team probing the murder of the 28-year-old student-activist, who was killed on the night of February 18.
A Left delegation led by CPM state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra and Left Front chairman Biman Bose went to Amta village in the afternoon. Till the time of filing this report, they were yet to meet his father.
“We are waiting for our legal representative,” Sabir Khan, elder brother of the slain student-activist told the family members. On Friday, the family members were summoned to identify those arrested in connection with the murder.
To the SIT members, Anis’ father’s only response has been that he wasunwell. He has been lying on the floor of the incomplete house since early morning. On Thursday, he had participated in a programme to gherao the Amta police station.
The SIT, led by ADG CID Gyanwant Singh, has arrested home guard Kashinath Bera and civic volunteer Pritam Bhattacharya. Sources said Pritam was a known Trinamul worker in the area and close to the local Trinamul MLA.
The Khan family has been demanding a CBI probe into the case, saying it has no faith in the police whose members are being accused of being allegedly involved in Anis's killing.
Officer-in-charge of Amta Police station Debabrata Chakraborty was sent on an indefinite leave on Thursday. While on the way to court, Bera, the home guard, had claimed they went the Khan residence at Sarada Dakshin Khanpara on the instructions of the officer-in-charge.
Questions have been raised on why senior officers are being given the long rope in the case.
“Those arrested have claimed that they were being made scapegoats. Gradually other names will be revealed as well. Why is the chief minister scared of a fair probe? Who gave the orders? The OC or someone higher-up?” asked CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty.
According to sources, on the night of February 18 a few hours before Anis was killed, he had allegedly got involved in an altercation with the police as a large force was stationed outside the venue of a religious event that he went to attend.
Three other civic volunteers are still absconding from the area. On Friday afternoon, SFI leaders Mayukh Biswas, Srijan Bhattacharya and others were beaten up and later arrested during a protest march while on their way to the police headquarters, Lalbazar.
A Left delegation led by CPM state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra and Front chairman Biman Bose went to the Amta village in the afternoon.
