A vocal student leader killed brutally in Bengal
Protests erupt across Kolkata after the shocking murder. All parties condemn, as the demand for 'justice Anish Khan' gets louder
Kolkata: Anish Khan, a 23-year-old MBA student of Aliah University, was murdered by throwing off from the third floor of his house at his native place Amta, less than 50 kilometers from Kolkata on Friday night. The student activist was very active on social issues and was an active participant of the anti-CAA, NRC movement, students’ protests in the university itself.
The incident has shocked and angered many across Bengal as the alleged killers who pushed Anish from his building and he died on spot, were in police uniform.
“It was around 12:30 am that four people came to our house and identified themselves as policemen from the Amta police station. One of them stood with me on the ground floor. He was carrying a firearm. The other three took my son upstairs. Moments later I heard a huge thud and found that my son was lying in a pool of blood. As I raised an alarm, following which all the four people fled,” said Salim Khan, Anish’s father.
However, Soumya Roy, SP, Howrah rural, claimed that no police personnel had gone to Anish’s residence. He added that had those imposters been police then they would have brought him to the police station, quoted The Hindu.
Anish was participating in a 138-day long protest by the students in Aliah University on several issues related to students at the varsity and had gone to his house a few days back. He was associated with the Students’ Federation of India (SFI). But the newly formed Secular Front of India claims Anish had joined them.
“He was not only very active in activism but when he used to speak, he used to mention names, if he had to speak about somebody. Anish was present at Park Circus anti-CAA protest site from day one,” told a devastated Nousheen Baba Khan, a rights activist, who participated with Anish in many protests, to eNewsroom.
eNewsroom has also accessed an old FIR dated June 24, 2021, in which the student leader had apprehended he could get murdered by a local panchayat leader for his social work.
As the news reached the state capital on Saturday, Aliah and Jadavpur University students held a candle march at Park Circus’ 7-Point Crossing. 7-Point Crossing at Park Circus is the most busiest crossing in the capital. The protesters also clashed with police as they removed the barricade put by Kolkata police.
The protesting students were claiming that it was a well-planned murder and demanded a thorough investigation.
Social media also started trending with #JusticeforAnish and #JusticeforAnishKhan.
Most political parties including CPIM, ISF, CPIML, AIMIM, Congress and BJP condemned the alleged killing.
CPM’s Mohammed Salim described the incident as one of the most “gruesome murders” of a student leader in the state in decades.
Naushad Siddiqui, ISF MLA said, “Just because I am an ISF legislator I won’t blame the ruling party. But the assailants had come wearing police uniforms. If the police don’t arrest the culprits, people will lose their faith. The assailants must be identified and arrested.”
While Dipankar Bhattacharya of CPIML tweeted, “Students demand #JusticeForAnishKhan. West Bengal demands #JusticeForAnishKhan. Protest vigils condemn the shocking killing of student leader #AnishKhan and demand punishment for the perpetrators of this brutal murder (sic).”
AIMIM issued a press release demanding a CBI inquiry into the murder.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress leader and Minister Firhad Hakim said there was a “deep-rooted conspiracy” over the incident and expressed hope that the police will get to the bottom of it.
