NEW DELHI, Feb 22: Hundreds of students across various universities in Kolkata hit the streets on Tuesday protesting over the alleged murder of a student leader Anish Khan belonging to the Indian Secular Front (ISF). The situation deteriorated when students of Aliah University tried to break barricade and march towards Writers Buildings, the West Bengal government secretariat, leading to clashes with the police.
Anish Khan (28) died on February 18 after allegedly being thrown off the roof of his house by unidentified persons in Howrah near Kolkata. His death sparked protests across Kolkata.
Apart from Aliah University, the educational institution where Khan was a former student, students of Presidency University and Jadavpur University were also seen protesting in and around their campuses.
Zulfikar, a student leader associated with the SFI, the student wing of the CPI(M), at Jadavpur University, claimed that the alleged murder of Khan could have been stopped had the state acted in time. “Anish was vocal against policies of TMC. Eight months back, he had informed the local SP that he was apprehensive of an attack on him. Police did not take him seriously. Had they acted earlier, his death could have been stopped,” said Zulfikar.
Anish Khan, who was earlier with the SFI, was a prominent face of the protests in Kolkata against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). He later joined the ISF. Protesting students stated that they desired justice for Anish. The protests came at a time when the newly formed SIT had visited the residence of Khan and met his family in Howrah.
(Manas Dasgupta)
