A twenty-eight-year-old student leader at West Bengal's Aliah University, Anis Khan, was found dead outside his house in Amta, Howrah on Friday, 18 February, reported The Indian Express.
Khan's family members allege that four unidentified persons, of which one was dressed in police uniform and carried a gun, barged into their house on Friday night, after which they forcibly took Anis to the roof of their three-storey building and pushed him off.
However, the police said that none of its personnel were involved in the "unnatural death", it added.
Khan, who was associated with the Indian Secular Front, had previously supported the Students' Federation of India (SFI) during his college days. His death triggered widespread protests in the Park Circus area on Saturday, 19 February, where some police personnel and protesters clashed, reported The Telegraph.
A case was registered under Section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code based on the deceased’s father, Salam Khan’s complaint.
Salam, a farmer, alleged that four people – three dressed as civic volunteers and one as a policeman with a gun – barged into their house late on Friday, 18 February, and started calling his son. ”When I opened the door, they pushed me aside and barged into the house searching for Anis. They went upstairs and threw my son off the roof and fled,” noted Indian Express.
The deceased’s father added that in May 2021, Anis had lodged a complaint against a local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader who had threatened to kill him for organising a blood donation camp in the village, as per The Telegraph.
He noted that they said that they wanted to know Anis' whereabouts as he had cases pending against him at the Amta police station, reported The Telegraph. It added that senior police officials from Howrah rural district said that no team had been sent to the Khan residence.
A preliminary post mortem report revealed severe injuries to the back of the head and body and a few marks on the right leg. Officers are awaiting the final report, reported Telegraph.
SFI’s Unit Secretary for Aliah University Tariqul Anwar said that Khan was a known “vocal student leader” and that they thought his death was a “big conspiracy”, demanding a proper investigation.
ISF leader and Bhangar MLA Naushad Siddiqui said, "The real culprits behind this incident have to be identified. If that doesn't happen, people will lose faith in the police," noted Telegraph.
(With inputs from The Indian Express and The Telegraph)
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