Two weeks after the murder of Anis Khan, the sole Indian Secular Front legislator, Naushad Siddiqui, has expressed his displeasure at the slow-paced progress made in the probe into the studeint-activists murder case.

“It has been more than two weeks now since Anis was murdered. The state police have hardly made any progress in these two weeks,” said Naushad on Sunday. “Those arrested took the officer-in-charge’s name, but he has been sent on indefinite leave. We suspect this was done to hamper the investigation.”

A student-activist from Aliah University, who was pursuing a course in journalism from Kalyani University, Anis was found lying on the ground adjoining his house on the night of February 18 after a policeman and three civic police volunteers visited him at his home well past midnight.

Anis has had ties with all three Opposition parties of Bengal, namely, the Congress, the ISF and the CPM. He has also campaigned for them.

The SIT set up by the state government to probe Anis's murder has arrested a home guard and one civic volunteer.

“Anis’ father could not identify the men when he went for the test identification parade. He said these were not the men. Two civic volunteers from the area have been absconding for the last two weeks. Why haven’t the police taken any steps to identify them?” asked Naushad.

The murder, which has cast serious aspersions on the local police with several leaders alleging direct involvement of policemen, has galvanised the Opposition into seizing the momentum from the ruling Trinamul despite its unhindered electoral triumphs.

Another family member of Anis signs the petition The Telegraph Picture

Several Left student and youth leaders, including the CPM’s frontal organisation for youths, the Democratic Youth Federation of India’s state secretary Minakshi Mukherjee, have been arrested for leading protests. Mukherjee has been charged with attempt to murder and denied bail.

On Sunday, student-activist Anis Khan’s father Salaam, brother Sabir, other family members and residents of the village of Sarada Dakshinpara in Howrah’s Amta joined a mass signature campaign undertaken by the DYFI demanding the release of Minakshi and others.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury at a Congress rally on Sunday to condemn the murder of student-activist Anis Khan The Telegraph Picture

On the other hand, the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha and state president, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, and the AICC observer for Odisha and Bengal, Dr A Chellakumar, a Lok Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu, led a rally from the Congress office till the Park Circus seven-point crossing.

“We demand a CBI probe under judicial supervision. We will knock on the doors of the national human rights commission. If the family members want, we will also take them to the President of India,” said Chowdhury after the rally.

The state Congress president had met the family members of the student-activist who was a part of the Congress’ students’ front, the Chhatra Parishad. He assured the family members that he would raise the issue in Parliament.

All the three parties, the CPM (along with the Left Front partners), the Congress and the Indian Secular Front, had contested the 2021 Assembly polls together with the ISF winning the sole seat. The two former powerhouses of Bengal politics drew a blank. Though Anis had ties with all the three parties and had also campaigned for them in the last elections, the protests against his death are yet to turn into a combined movement.

“Students, youths have taken the fight to get justice for Anis with or without any political banner. Maybe later there could be joint protests without any political banner,” said Naushad Siddiqui, the lone legislator from the ISF.