Complete probe in Anish Khan’s death in one month, Calcutta HC tells SIT

Death of 28–year-old triggered protests across Bengal

The Calcutta High Court on Monday directed the special investigation team (SIT) probing the death of Anish Khan to complete the investigation in one month. Justice Rajasekhar Mantha, who is hearing the case, said the SIT would complete the investigation in one month without any delay following which the court would decide whether the investigation needed to be handed over to the CBI or not. The matter will come up for hearing on April 18.

Justice Mantha had earlier turned down the prayer for a CBI probe and allowed the SIT, which was set up by the West Bengal government, to go ahead with its investigation. Last week, the court directed that the report of the SIT probe be handed to counsel for the family members of Anish Khan. The court had directed a second post-mortem by exhuming the body under the supervision of a district Judge and it was carried out on February 28.  It had also directed the examination of the mobile phone of the deceased by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Hyderabad.

 The death of the 28–year-old triggered protests by Left students union and State Congress leadership across the State. According to his family members, four persons, who identified themselves as police personnel, barged in the house in the early hours on February 19, and threw Anish to death from the second floor. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee set up the SIT on February 21.  The family has maintained that they have no faith in the SIT probe and are demanding a probe by the CBI.