No murder charge in student’s death case
The Hindu
5 police personnel named accused
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the West Bengal Police on Monday filed a chargesheet against five police personnel in the case of death of student leader Anish Khan before a court in Howrah district. While the FIR registered on February 19 invoked Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, the chargesheet drops the murder charge.
The accused are a former officer in-charge of the Amta police station, one assistant sub-inspector, one home guard and two civic police volunteers. According to the chargesheet, they went to Anish Khan’s residence in connection with a post the student leader had put up on the hijab row in Karnataka. He died after falling from the second floor of his house.
The SIT had arrested two of the accused and they were later released on bail. Salem Khan, father of Anish Khan, said on Monday he had no hopes on the SIT and reiterated his demand for a CBI investigation.
The Calcutta High Court had on June 21 dismissed Salem Khan’s petition seeking such an investigation. The court said the petitioner’s apprehension that the accused police officers would be shielded by the police was devoid of merit.
Anish was found dead under mysterious circumstances after three policemen allegedly entered his house at Amta.