Kolkata, Oct 16 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court Tuesday ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the mysterious death of graphics designer Rizwanur Rahman last month, which has led to widespread protests by citizens.
The court also set a time frame of two months for the central investigating agency to submit its report, which it said should be placed in a sealed envelope.
In a stinging rebuke to West Bengal’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Justice Soumitra Pal said the investigation conducted by the agency seemed “illegal”.
“Prima facie, the investigation conducted by the CID under Section 175 of CrPc (Criminal Procedure Code) appears to be illegal.
“The agency had interrogated 56 witnesses without filing a case against anybody. When there are allegations against the police and authorities, the case should be investigated by the CBI,” said advocate Kalyan Bandopadhay, who is fighting the case on behalf of Rizwanur’s family.
Justice Pal also slammed Kolkata Police Commissioner Prasun Mukherjee for describing Rizwanur’s death as suicide even before the post-mortem report was received.
“In such circumstances, only a CBI report can unravel the truth,” he said.
Rizwanur’s mother and brother filed the case in the high court, seeking a CBI inquiry into Rizwanur’s death.
The court rejected the state’s Advocate General Balai Ray’s appeal that the case filed by the family has no legal tenability.
“Rizwanur’s mother Kishwar Jahan and his brother Rukbanur have every right to appeal for a CBI inquiry as they have been directly affected by the youth’s death,” Pal said.
An ecstatic Rukbanur said, “It is a victory for people. We had always asked for a CBI inquiry. We now hope to get justice.”
Rizwanur, a 30-year-old computer graphic designer, was found dead beside a railway track here with his head smashed on Sep 21, barely a month after marrying Hindu girl Priyanka Todi, daughter of industrialist Ashok Todi.
Ashok Todi and some senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers are in the eye of a storm for allegedly intimidating the youth to opt out of the marriage.
Sujato Bhadra of the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) said, “I think it is a victory of sorts for all of us. We had always said the CID will not be able to unravel the truth behind Rizwanur’s death. We will extend all help to the CBI in their investigation.”
Rizwanur was in touch with Bhadra before his death and gave APDR a written complaint about the harassment by the police officials.