CID report silent on Muslim youth's death

The CID report on the controversial death of Muslim teacher Rizwan Rehman, who was allegedly pressurised by senior police officials in Kolkata following his marriage with the daughter of a Hindu industrialist, is silent if it was a case of suicide and does not accuse anyone specifically.

Home Secretary P R Roy, to whom the interim report of CID was submitted on Wednesday, said the report did not mention if it was a case of suicide and also did not accuse anyone specifically.

Two days after Rizwan's body was found on railway tracks on September 21, Kolkata police chief Prasun Mukherjee had claimed it was a case of suicide.

Rizwan had been threatened by senior Kolkata police officers to part with his wife Priyanka, daughter of industrialist Ashok Todi, after their marriage on August 18.

Asked if senior police officers will be summoned for questioning, Roy said, "Officials will be called to appear at an appropriate time."

He said the investigating agency had not come to any conclusion in the case.

"The report contains the facts of inquiry as of today and the case has not been closed," he said.

To a question, the Home Secretary said it was not within power of the CID or anybody to close the case.

Asked if there was anything 'crucial' in the report, Roy said, "I don't think it is very important. It deals only with an unnatural death case."

With regard to the judicial probe ordered by Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, he said it will be the first point to ascertain if it was an accident, suicide or homicide.

Roy said the Human Rights Commission had sought a report from the state government on Rizwan's death and it had been sent.

Meanwhile, another West Bengal minister on Thursday pilloried the involvement of Kolkata police in threatening Rizwan.

Water Investigations Minister Nandagopal Bhattacharya said the 'role of the police in Rizwan's death has brought shame to the state.'

"I don't think that an inquiry will be successful by retaining the accused police officers in their posts. We have repeatedly made this demand but nothing has been done so far," Bhattacharya said.