Rizwanur Rehman: the justice we were waiting for
Click here for a brief history of the Rizwanur Rehman tragedy
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Death of Rizwanur Rehman: Police conduct inhuman, says court
News Source: The Telegraph, India, August 15, 2008
Calcutta, Aug. 14: Calcutta High Court today accepted the CBI’s conclusion that Rizwanur Rahman had committed suicide and cleared the agency to chargesheet seven people, including his father-in-law Ashok Todi and three police officers, for abetment.
The three others are Ashok’s brother Pradip Todi, relative Anil Saraogi and the Rahmans’ family friend Pappu, all accused of trying to break up Rizwanur’s marriage with Priyanka Todi, which her father did not approve of.
The city police’s attempts to arm-twist the couple were “unconstitutional” and “inhuman”, the court said, adding that then police commissioner Prasun Mukherjee’s conduct had encouraged “his subordinates to harass the couple even more”.
The three officers to be chargesheeted are Ajoy Kumar, Sukanti Chakraborty and Krishnendu Das. The charges of abetment to suicide, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy carry a maximum punishment of 10 years in jail.
Justice Dipankar Dutta also recommended departmental proceedings against Prasun and then deputy commissioner (headquarters) Gyanwant Singh for acting “irresponsibly on the false accusations made by Ashok Todi”.
He said Prasun had “suppressed facts” and “shown more interest in helping the Todis than the young couple”. Gyanwant had been the first officer to call the couple to Lalbazar before referring the case to Ajoy Kumar.
The trial will be held in a CBI court at the Bankshall Court premises in Calcutta.
However, the court stayed the operation of the order for three weeks, giving the Todis and the government time to appeal before a higher bench. Government sources indicated the state would appeal.
Mamata Banerjee today demanded that the chief minister quit and apologise to Rizwanur’s mother since the verdict had gone against his government.
Calcutta, Aug. 14: Police’s attempt to break up the marriage of Rizwanur Rehman and Priyanka Todi was “unconstitutional” and “inhuman”, the high court said on Thursday.
“The way the police handled the case was unconstitutional, inhuman… and against the rule book… They were fed with false allegations (by Priyanka’s family) which they accepted unquestioningly,” Justice Dipankar Dutta said.
The judge allowed the CBI to file chargesheets against three police officers and four members of the Todi family — including Priyanka’s father Ashok — for their role in driving Rizwanur to suicide.
Commenting on the conduct of the police, the court said “there are two kinds of thanas in the city” — local police stations where “common people” lodge their complaints and the one in Lalbazar where “influential people” go with their problems.
“It seems the police only act on complaints lodged with Lalbazar,” Justice Dutta said, referring to the manner in which the cops had summoned Rizwanur and Priyanka to their headquarters following a “complaint” from the Todis.
The judge said this was done even after Karaya police station — Rizwanur’s house in Tiljala Lane was under its jurisdiction — confirmed that the marriage was legal.
On former police commissioner Prasun Mukherjee (now additional director-general), the court said he had “suppressed facts” and that his statement on September 23 that Rizwanur had committed suicide “only added fuel to the fire”. The statement came two days after the 30-year-old graphic designer’s body was found on the railway tracks in Patipukur and before the post-mortem report arrived.
“In the press conference, Mukherjee had suppressed the fact that he had already met Pradip Todi who had sought his help in breaking up the marriage… He gave credence to the false allegations levelled by the Todis instead of helping the couple when they had turned to police for help. This encouraged his subordinates to harass the couple even more,” the judge observed.
“This was not expected of a senior officer,” the judge added. “Mukherjee had shown more interest in helping the Todis than the young couple.”
As for Gyanwant Singh and Ajoy Kumar, the two deputy commissioners who have since been transferred, the court said they had acted “illegally by interfering in the affairs of a legally married couple.”
Blaming the police “pressure” on Rizwanur for his death, the judge said: “The police had acted illegally. It’s a fact that the pressure applied by the police on Rizwanur to break up his marriage led to his death. He felt suffocated…”
The judge said it was clear that Priyanka’s father Ashok Todi had influenced the police and that the CBI had “done no wrong” by filing a murder case against the Todis before starting its probe.
Rizwanur case: CBI told to chargesheet accused
News Source: Times of India, August 15, 2008
In remarks critical of the role of then Kolkata Police Commissioner Prasun Mukherjee in the Rizwanur Rehman death case, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the CBI to chargesheet all the seven accused including three police officers.
Those to be chargesheeted are – industrialist Ashok Todi, father-in-law of Rizwanur, his brother Pradip Todi, their cousin A Saraogi, Pappu, a friend of Rizwanur’s family, then DCP (Detective Department) Ajay Kumar, ACP Sukanti Chakraborty and SI Krishnendu Das (of anti-dowry unit).
Computer graphics teacher Rizwanur, who was under tremendous pressure to get separated from his wife Priyanka, daughter of Ashok Todi, ever since their marriage, was found dead along a rail track on September 21, last year.
Taking a strong exception to Mukherjee’s role, Justice Dipankar Datta observed that he had not stated at his press conference the fact that Todi had met him and that Rizwanur and Priyanka had been called at the city police headquarters at Lalbazar.
It is conclusively inferred that the police had favoured the Todis and the then Police Commissioner did not respond with correct facts, Justice Datta said in his 120-page order.
Holding that the city police had taken a partial attitude and had failed to discharge it duty while handling the case, he said that the police power had been misutilised.
Rizwanur’s death had sparked off widespread furore following which the High Court directed CBI to conduct a probe into the case.
The CBI submitted its report on February 28 to the court stating that Rizwanur had committed suicide, but recommended action against senior city police officers including the then Police Commissioner.
News Source: Times of India, August 15, 2008
Nearly a year after Rizwanur Rahman’s mysterious death – an incident that shook the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government – Calcutta High Court on Thursday ordered CBI to file chargesheets against all seven accused for “provoking” the young graphic designer to suicide.
The order comes just four days before what would have been Rizwan and Priyanka Todi’s first wedding anniversary. Rizwan had fought a lone battle against police and some of the city’s most powerful people before being found dead on railway tracks on September 21, 2007.
The seven accused include Priyanka’s father Ashok Todi, uncles Pradip Todi and Anil Saraogi, police officers Ajoy Kumar, Sukanti Chakraborty and Krishnendu Das and ‘mediator’ Syed Mohinuddin alias Pappu.
Justice Dipankar Dutta also gave the go-ahead to the state government to initiate departmental proceedings against all five police officers, including former police commissioner Prasun Mukherjee and the then DC (headquarters) Gyanwant Singh, if deemed necessary. The court stayed the operation of the order for three weeks.
Justice Dutta was scathing in his comments on the way police handled the case. He held police’s interference in the legal marriage of Rizwan and Priyanka “unconstitutional and illegal.” The court had used the same terms for the police firing in Nandigram on March 14 which killed 14 villagers.
“It is an inescapable conclusion that there are two police stations. Lalbazar (police headquarters) is for the influential ones. And local police stations are for the aam aadmi. It is disgraceful that people have to knock on the high court’s door for lodging an FIR,” Justice Dutta said in a packed courtroom.
Kolkata police was lambasted for not heeding Rizwan and Priyanka’s letter for help. “He (Rizwan) was summoned by high-ranking officers as if he had committed an offence. The complaint of Rizwan and Priyanka never reached the CP’s table. False and frivolous complaints were lodged against Rizwan,” Justice Dutta said.
