The parents of CPM youth leader Meenakshi Mukherjee, who was arrested along with 15 others for alleged violence during a march to protest the murder of Anis Khan, visited the father of the slain student-activist in Amta on Thursday to stand by the family's fight for "justice".

“The way you have been fighting to ensure justice for your son is an example,” Manoj Mukherjee, Meenakshi's father, told Anis's father Salaam Khan.

Meenakshi, who had contested the 2021 Assembly elections on a CPM ticket against Mamata Banerjee from Nandigram, was arrested on Saturday, February 26 and charged with attempt to murder, among other sections, along with 15 others after a protest march at Panchla turned into a pitched battle with police that hurled teargas shells at them.

On Thursday, the Mukherjees, who stay in West Burdwan’s Kulti, first came to Alipore women’s correctional home to meet their daughter and then headed for the Amta village. Meenakshi’s father Manoj and mother Parul were accompanied by SFI state president Srijan Bhattacharya and DYFI’s all India general secretary Abhay Mukherjee.

“Your daughter was imprisoned while seeking justice for my son. I can never forget this,” Salaam told them. “I have lost one son. But many, many more sons and daughters are fighting to seek justice for him.”

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has formed a special investigation team to probe Anis's murder that his family and the state Opposition allege was committed with the involvement of the local police. The SIT has made two arrests so far, a home guard and a civic police volunteer.

Anis’s family had alleged that a uniformed policeman and three civic police volunteers had forcibly entered their Amta village home on the night of February 18 looking for Anis. Soon after, Anis was found lying on the ground suspected to have been pushed off the terrace of their home. The family has demanded a CBI probe.

On Saturday afternoon, as the protest took a violent turn, at least seven police personnel were seen dragging Meenakshi across National Highway-6 along Panchla in Howrah.

The CPM has alleged that the police had tortured Meenakshi, who is the state secretary of CPM youth wing Democratic Youth Federation of India and other DYFI members while they were in police custody. Meenakshi was produced at a local court on Monday when she was remanded to judicial custody for five days. A 12-second video of the day has been circulated widely in which she is seen limping.

The case will come up for hearing on Friday at a Howrah local court, though it is unlikely that Meenakshi will be produced. CPM Rajya Sabha MP and lawyer Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya is expected to plead on her behalf. State Congress leaders Abdul Mannan and Rajya Sabha MP Pradip Bhattacharya are also likely to attend the proceedings to express solidarity with those who have hit the streets seeking justice for the 28-year-old student- activist.

Speaking from inside a police van, Meenakshi had said on Sunday that the police was trying to divert the investigation into the murder of Anis Khan and suppress a people’s movement using subversive methods.

“Police officers should understand that the movement will not stop by committing atrocities. Our student and youth leaders were beaten up mercilessly. They think this will divert attention from the movement, but it will not happen,” Meenakshi had said.

On Monday and Tuesday, central Calcutta was paralysed as student and youth supporters of the Left, Congress and the Indian Secular Front hit the streets. State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is likely to lead a protest march in Calcutta on Sunday demanding the arrest of the culprits linked to the murder of Anis.