STUDENTS and youth in West Bengal are leading a sustained fight demanding arrest and punishment for the culprits in the Anis Khan murder case. Anis, a student leader and social activist, was killed by men in police uniform in Amta in Howrah district.

Students and youth organisations have staged a sustained sit-in in front of Amta police station after the brutal murder. DYFI, SFI and other Left student and youth organisations had called for a rally towards Howrah Rural Police Superintendent’s office in Panchla on February 26. The rally was huge, thousands of protestors peacefully marched towards the SP’s office. They were suddenly attacked. Police forces began tear gassing, lathi-charge, even throwing bricks at the protestors. There was resistance too. Police began to beat up mercilessly. Even the women were not spared. The local people who supported the protestors also became victims of police brutality. Some elders were kicked on the national highway itself.

Police forcefully picked up protestors and started beating them on the spot. DYFI state secretary Minakshi Mukherjee was beaten and taken into the prison van. 16 protestors were arrested from the spot, most of them SFI and DYFI activists of Howrah district.

Later they were taken to Panchla police station. They were mercilessly beaten in the police lock up. Some of them were forced to undress and were beaten up. Many of them, including Minakshi Mukherjee were grievously injured. It was reported to the court when they were produced the next day. The district judge ordered a fresh medical report and personally saw the injuries. Many of the arrested were not able to walk. After two days, police reported that there are at least six signs of injury on Minakshi’s body. Two others – Sujay Chakraborty and Mafhuz Khan also suffered serious injuries in police custody. Police claimed that one of the policemen suffered serious injury and was admitted to a hospital.  Later it was found that the injury was nothing serious and he was released from a nursing home. Even then the arrested activists were denied bail. Finally they were given bail on March 7 and were released from the jails on the 8th.

Meanwhile hundreds of students and youth along with different sections of people carried on with protest actions. Rallies and demonstrations took place throughout the state. On March 1, two huge processions merged into a rally in front of Kolkata University.

After the arrested activists were released, police again resorted to brutality when the SFI-DYFI comrades went to receive Minakshi Mukherjee. They were beaten up and detained in Rashbehari in Kolkata. Those detained included Mayukh Biswas, SFI general secretary and Srijan Bhattacharya, state secretary. A girl student, Didhiti Basu suffered fracture on her leg in the police lathi-charge.

Left students and youth organisations took out a rally again on the next day in Kolkata. They demanded immediate arrest of the murderers of Anis Khan.

These protest actions have perceptibly gained people’s support and a strong sense of discontent against the TMC government was visible.