Anis Khan case: Govt opposes dad’s objection to reports indicating death by accident

PTI, May 18, 2022, 9:01 AM IST

Kolkata: The West Bengal government on Tuesday opposed before the Calcutta High Court an objection filed by the father of deceased student leader Anis Khan, on an investigation report claiming that the post-mortem examination indicates that his death was accidental and not homicidal.

Appearing for the state, Advocate General S N Mookherjee submitted that there was no motive for murder as the accused persons – a home guard and a civic volunteer – did not know Anis Khan, and that he fell through an open window on the second floor of his home at Amta in Howrah district on February 19. The two, who had allegedly gone to the second floor looking for Khan, were arrested by a special investigation team formed by the state government, amid a hue and cry by opposition parties over the death, and charged under Section 304A (causing death by negligence) of the IPC.

Opposing the objection filed by Salem Khan, the father of the student leader, on an investigation report of the police, Mookherjee submitted before Justice Rajasekhar Mantha that forensic tests and post-mortem examination report have indicated that the death was accidental and not homicidal as alleged by the family of the deceased.

It was also submitted that a polygraph test was done on the accused persons by Forensic Science Laboratory, Delhi, which is a central government organisation, and not by the state authorities.

Two post-mortem examinations were done of the dead body of Khan, the second being on an order of the court.

It was also stated by the AG that the investigation in the case is almost complete and the charge sheet will be submitted before the trial court soon. The matter will be taken up for further hearing on June 7, Justice Mantha directed.

The state government had on April 19 submitted an 82-page report to the high court, as had been directed by it earlier, indicating steps taken in its investigation into the unnatural death of Khan.

Alleging that his son was murdered by men wearing khaki and civic volunteer uniform, Salem Khan had moved the high court seeking an order for an investigation into the death by an impartial agency which is not connected with the West Bengal police.

His lawyer Bikash Bhattacharya had claimed before the court that Anis Khan had been brutally assaulted by four people, of whom one was in police uniform and the other three in civic volunteer dress, and thrown over from the second floor of his home.