By PTI
HOWRAH: West Bengal ministers Firhad Hakim and Pulak Roy could not visit the residence of Anish Khan in Howrah district’s Amta on Friday amid massive protests over the killing of the student activist.
As the two ministers reached Simana Gora area near Narit in Baganan, hundreds of people gheraoed their convoy, raising ‘Go Back’ slogans.
Even as the security of the two ministers tried to calm the crowd, the protests continued, forcing them to return.
Later, Roy told reporters that there was a religious programme in the area because of which a huge crowd had gathered.
“The road was also narrow, so it was not possible to go there. Also, we heard that Anish’s father Salem Khan was sick so we did not want to go there. We will later visit Anish’s house,” he said.
Hakim, who holds the Urban Development portfolio, besides being the mayor of Kolkata, is a top-rung leader of the Trinamool Congress.
Reacting to the incident, Anish’s brother Sabbir Khan said it was the 41st day since the death.
“A religious programme was organised on the occasion. We were busy with it.”
Hundreds of people turned up to join the rituals in the Amta’s Dakshin Sarda Khan Para.
State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and former Amta MLA of Congress Asit Mitra along with scores of party workers met Anish’s father Salem Khan.
The party also launched ‘Nyay Yatra’ to demand justice for Anish’s death and the killing of Congress’s Jhalda councillor Tapan Kandu.
Salem Khan joined the march briefly.
Abbas Siddiqui of ISF and religious leaders of Furfura Sharif visited the village and met Salem Khan.
Later, Salem Khan told reporters that adhering to the directions of the high court, his family was fully cooperating with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the state government to probe the case.
“The SIT could not reveal the mystery over my son’s death. We will wait for one more month, and then approach the Supreme Court for a CBI investigation,” he said.
“I was busy with the religious rituals, so don’t know anything about the protests,” he said.
Anish Khan, a student activist, was allegedly pushed-off from the third floor of his house in the dead of the night on February 18 by people in police uniforms, according to his family.
