Samsuddin Khan, 30, the elder brother of deceased student activist Anis Khan, has been fielded by the CPM in the July 8 rural polls.

Samsuddin will contest from the Kushberia panchayat samiti seat 41 in Howrah.

Senior CPM leaders said the decision was taken to acknowledge the struggles of Anis’s family members.

“I dream of fulfilling the dreams of Anis,” Samsuddin, who does casual jobs for a living, told this newspaper. “When the party asked me to contest the polls I did not hesitate.”

Samsuddin filed his nomination papers at the Amta II block office on June 13.

Anis, a former student at Aliah University, was purportedly thrown off the roof of his home by law enforcers of the local police station on February 18, 2022. The former MBA student used to take part in activities of the CPM-backed SFI. Later, he took part in Indian Secular Front rallies.

The CPM, the SFI and the DYFI had taken up Anis’s death as a major political campaign against Trinamul and the state administration.

A few months ago, Anis’s father, Salem Khan, was inducted into the CPM’s farmer’s wing the All India Kisan Sabha. He has since served as the chief of the AIKS local unit.

“The party initially wanted my father as the candidate. But he insisted on young faces,” Samsuddin said.

Paresh Pal, a state committee member of the party and veteran leader of Howrah, said by fielding Samsuddin the party acknowledged how it stood against “threats and enticements” of Trinamul.

“Most would have succumbed to the pressure this family faced. But they didn’t bend a knee. They trusted us and became a part of our political ideology,” Pal said.