Calcutta HC directs second postmortem of student leader’s body 

Mobile phone will be examined by Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Hyderabad

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed a District Judge to supervise the second postmortem of the body of student leader Anish Khan. 

Justice Rajasekhar Mantha, who is hearing a petition demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the death of 28-year-old student leader, also ordered that the mobile phone of the deceased be examined under the supervision of the District Judge. The mobile phone would be examined by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Hyderabad at the earliest and a report would be sent to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder. A copy would be required to be sent to the petitioner.

 The family members of Anish Khan had refused to hand over the mobile phone to the SIT and also did not allow the administration to exhume the body. The court, however, did not accept the petitioner’s demand for a CBI probe and the matter will come up for hearing after 15 days. Senior lawyer and Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, appearing for the family of the deceased, said that court would take a call on the functioning of SIT after 15 days.

Anish Khan was killed on February 18, when four persons barged into his house and put a gun to his father’s head. They flung the student leader off the third storey. The State government on February 21 set up an STI three senior IPS officers. 

On February 23, the SIT arrested two policemen: home guard Kashinath Bera and civic police volunteer Pritam Bhattacharya posted at the local Amta Police station in connection with the murder. On Thursday, the accused were produced in a local court and remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.

On being taken to the court, the accused told mediapersons that they went the house of Anish Khan on the instructions of the Officer-in-Charge of the police station. The accused said that they were being made scapegoat in the incident.

Meanwhile, the situation in the Amta block of Howrah District remained tense. Family members of Anish Khan and protesters took out a rally and laid siege to the Amta police station. Students broke barricades and raised slogans demanding justice for Anish Khan. Later a few family members were allowed to go inside the police station. Salem Khan, father of Anish, continued to insist on a CBI probe.