Accused duo paraded before Anis Khan’s father

Salam, with one of his sons and a lawyer in tow, turned up at the Uluberia sub-correctional home where the two accused were lodged

Anis Khan.: File photo

Kinsuk Basu   |   TT  |  Calcutta   |   26.02.22  : Salam Khan, father of deceased student leader Anis Khan, on Friday attended a test identification (TI) parade of those who were arrested in connection with the death of the 27-year-old son at Amta in Howrah district last week.

Around 3.30pm, Salam, with one of his sons and a lawyer in tow, turned up at the Uluberia sub-correctional home where the two accused — civic volunteer Pritam Bhattacharya and home guard Kashinath Bera — were lodged.

The Khans took the 28km ride from their Amta house to Uluberia in their lawyer’s car after refusing to use one that was arranged by two officers from the special investigation team. The SIT officers were kept waiting for over 90 minutes before Salam agreed to turn up for the TI parade.

“Under the provisions of the Evidence Act, a TI parade is of great significance and remains a vital tool for any investigating agency. Since Salam Khan is the key witness in the case, his statement during the parade will be very vital in the court,” said a senior SIT officer.

Senior officials in the correctional department said 14 “dummies” were chosen and they were mixed with the two accused before the start of the parade.

A magistrate was present when the parade was held inside the correctional home. No police officer was present when the identification process was carried out in keeping with the norms, correctional department officials said.

“The magistrate drew up the report after the process was over clearly mentioning how long it took to identify, if at all, and the reason that was cited by Salam Khan for the same. The report will be sent to the court,” said a senior official of the department. “The witness had to identify the two accused without any support.”

The Khans did not speak much after the process was over but insisted that those arrested so far must have acted at the behest of their superiors and they should be identified.

With the TI parade over, the SIT members began drawing up a list of those who were apparently opposed to Anis’s rising popularity in and around Amta. Some of them had even vehemently opposed when Anis had organised a blood donation camp in the area, the investigators have learnt.

“Anis had voiced his views against some of those local youths in a video posted on social media. His frustrations had found immediate support among several others in the locality,” said a source.

The SIT has also started gathering information about Anis’s movements in the final days of his life, places he would usually visit, people he would frequently chat with and why he had a lurking sense of insecurity, as some of his family members claimed.