Kolkata, Oct 16: In an embarassment to the Left Front government in West Bengal, the Calcutta High Court today directed the CBI to investigate the death of Rizwanur Rehman which has caused a public outcry.
Justice Soumitra Pal, in an interim order, directed the CBI to complete the investigation and submit its report to the court within two months.
The court observed it was prima facie satisfied that the CID inquiry being conducted into the death of computer graphics teacher, who had married the daughter of a Hindu industrialist, was not legally valid as it had not been ordered according to law.
He observed the CID was conducting the inquiry without registering a case and was, therefore, faulty and not proper and just.
A large number of people who were present in the court room broke into thunderous applause after the verdict.
Rizwanur's body was found on the rail tracks near Dum Dum far from his home in park Circus in Kolkata on September 21 following his marriage to Priyanka, daughter of industrialist Ashok Todi on August 18.
He had been allegedly been threatened by Kolkata police officers, including two Deputy Commissioners to part with her.
Rizwanur's mother Kishwar Jahan and elder brother Rukbanur had moved the High Court seeking a CBI inquiry into his death, claiming that they did not have faith in any inquiry conducted by any state agency.
The state government had ordered a CID enquiry and also a judicial inquiry into the death of Rizwanur but resisted the demand for a CBI probe.
CID to give report on Wednesday
The West Bengal government, meanwhile, said action would be taken against the guilty.
On Monday, Inspector General of Police, CID, P Neeraj Narayan said, "We will give the report to the government on Wednesday."
He said the CID had the call details, the circumstantial evidences and recorded statements to prove Rizwanur's movement on September 21, the day his body was found on rail tracks near Dum Dum.
On that day he went out of his Park Circus residence at 8:30 am and died at around 10:30 am, he said.
The IGP said that the Forensic State Laboratory report and the viscera report would be received on Tuesday and the final word could be said on Rizwanur's death, following his marriage to Priyanka, the daughter of industrialist Ashok Todi on August 18.
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, when asked about punishment for police officials allegedly involved had said critically, "You will come to know once it (inquiry) is done."
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, October 16, 2007, 00:00