IN a chilling midnight operation, firebrand student leader Anish Khan was exterminated by four men dressed in police uniform.  Anish was a well-liked and exceedingly admired student leader of Aliyah University currently in the eye of intense students’ protests. He was also a very prominent face of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in Kolkata. Anish was also known for being a very harsh and vocal critic of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamul Congress (TMC) government of Bengal. During the lockdown, he had taken several initiatives to extend a helping hand to underprivileged students and provide food to the disadvantaged.

On the midnight of February 18, four men, one dressed as a cop in khaki and three as civic police volunteers, elbowed past the sexagenarian Salem Khan, the head of the family, after he reluctantly opened the door to his house, on being told that they were “police” and they would open fire if the door was not opened.

According to the elder Khan, the men said that Anish had an old case against him at Bagnan police station and he had not obtained bail. The men claimed that Bagnan police was pressurising Amta police to either get him to get bail or to arrest him. They had come to convince Anish to apply for bail.

The man in police uniform held the family of Anish at gun-point at their third floor room while the three others rushed upstairs to where the 28 year-old was resting after attending a function at his village in the company of other villagers. After some time they heard a loud thud and soon the three men hastily came down and told their ‘officer’ that the work was done. Rapidly they left the place after this.

Once the men left family members of Anish came out and found him lying on the street, bleeding, unconscious but still alive. He died on his way to the hospital. Though Amta police was informed about the incident around 2.30 am and was again called at 6 am, after Anish’s death, they visited the Khan household only at around 9.30 am.

Anish who was an above average student had pursued MBA at the Aliyah University. He has been spearheading the students’ movement going on in the Park Circus campus of the university for the last 140 days. They have a 10-point charter of demands including exemption of semester fees for one year, internet connection, salary for the sweepers and security guards, adequate scholarship to research scholars, sanction of money to enable NAAC visit to the university, resumption of coaching for WBCS and other competitive examinations etc.

A scrutiny of his Facebook profile will reveal how scathing and sarcastic Anish was in his criticism of Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government. In post after post he has relentlessly attacked the chief minister and her various schemes and programmes.

This ghastly murder of the student leader has sent a cold shiver down the spine of the people of Bengal. The brazenness with which this murder was carried out has made the people angry and protests have broken out in different parts of the state including in Anish’s district, Howrah, and in Kolkata. Student organisations affiliated to the Left parties as well as civil rights groups have been staging protests everywhere. Members of the civil society including poets, litterateurs, singers, actors, doctors, lawyers, teachers, film directors have poured out their anger, angst and helplessness either on the social media or on the streets of Kolkata. Many of them took to the streets to demand justice for Anish Khan. A mammoth rally marched through the heart of Kolkata on Monday, February 21, demanding a proper inquiry and exemplary punishment for the perpetrators of this grisly act. The rally was later addressed by the CPI(M) member of the Rajya Sabha and renowned lawyer Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, celebrated actor Badsha Moitra, SFI leader Dipshita Dhar, professor, singer, poet Dr Soumik Das and others.

On February 22, another huge rally was taken out by the students of the Aliyah University, Jadavpur University, Presidency University, Calcutta University and other educational institutions. They had planned to march towards the Writers’ Building. Mamata Banerjee’s police had put up three tier barricades to prevent the students from marching towards the seat of power. When stopped by the police at Park Circus some of the students lay down on the road. They were bodily lifted up and dragged into waiting police vans.

Jadavpur University campus too erupted in protest. Things got heated up when students and staff owing allegiance to the ruling TMC tried to physically stop the students from carrying out their protest programmes.

In College Street Mamata Banerjee’s police chased the agitating students who were also lathicharged. They were grabbed and shoved into police vans. Police brutality on agitating students was barbaric. But the indomitable students continue their agitation and are determined to force the mighty administration to bow before them and pay heed to their demands. This fight shall continue till justice is handed out to the grieving parents of slain Anish Khan.