Police officers accused in Rizwanur case now in custody

Kolkata, Sep 30 (IANS) A city court Tuesday sent three police officers, including a former deputy commissioner, allegedly involved in the mysterious death of Rizwanur Rehman, into police custody for 14 days after they surrendered in court.

Former deputy commissioner of police (Detective Department) Ajay Kumar, former assistant commissioner Sukanti Chakraborty and sub-inspector Krishnendu Das surrendered before the metropolitan magistrate's court and submitted their bail pleas.

'Their (accused police officers) bail petition was rejected and the court has remanded them to 14-day custody,' said the metropolitan magistrate.

However, lawyers of the accused later filed an application before the chief magistrate's court to stay the lower court's order.

The Calcutta High court Aug 14 said Rizwanur was provoked to commit suicide last year and asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file chargesheets in the lower court against six people - his in-laws, Ashok and Pradip Todi, and four police officers Gyanwant Singh, Ajay Kumar, Sukanta Chakraborty and Krishnendu Das.

The city court last Monday issued summons to seven accused after taking cognisance of a chargesheet filed by the CBI. The summons were also issued to Rizwanur's father-in-law industrialist Ashok Todi, his brother Pradip Todi, their relative Anil Saraogi and Pappu, a family friend of the Rehmans.

The CBI, probing the case following a Calcutta High Court order, had stated in the chargesheet that Rizwanur committed suicide, and sought to proceed against the seven on various charges for abetting it, for criminal intimidation and for conspiracy.

Rizwanur, a 30-year-old graphic designer working with a multimedia firm, was found dead Sep 21 last year near railway tracks at Kolkata's Patipukur suburb, barely a month after marrying Hindu girl Priyanka Todi, daughter of Ashok Todi.

The family of the deceased said they were satisfied with the way investigations and judicial proceedings are going on in the case.

'Now our family are a bit satisfied and have regained the faith in the law and order of the country. We thank the CBI for their unbiased action. But we will be able to rest in peace only after Ashok and Pradip Todi and other police officers who provoked Rizwanur to commit suicide are jailed too,' said Rizwanur's brother Rukbanur.

West Bengal home secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty said he would like to know the exact charges the CBI has filed against the police officers.

'I have asked the CBI to let me know what are the exact charges they have filed against the police officers in the Rizwanur case. As for jail custody of the three policemen, all I have to say that according to police law, if an officer spends 48 hours in jail, he will be suspended,' Chakraborty told reporters at the state secretariat here.

The court criticised former police commissioner Prasun Mukherjee for defending the police officers and giving wrong information about Rehman's death to the media.