Saturday, October 27, 2007

Rizwanur Rehman:Maoists dub it a murder

Anjan Chakraborty
KOLKATA, Oct. 26: Maoists in the state have termed the "unnatural death" of Rizwanur Rehman as murder, which they believe was "carried out in collusion between Mr Ashok Todi and senior Kolkata Police officers".

Breaking their silence on the issue that has raked up public sentiment for more than a month now, Maoists have claimed that Rizwanur "was murdered as he had dared to fall in love and later marry a Hindu girl". In a statement issued on 15 October, state secretary of the CPI (Maoists), Mr Soumen, alleged: "The chief minister is not able to shield the guilty officers of Kolkata Police because of the public outrage against administrative high-handedness."

The statement was issued just two days before Calcutta High Court ordered a CBI inquiry into the death of Rizwanur, while terming the CID inquiry as "illegal".

Taking a dig at the way the state government had handled Rizwanur's case, Mr Soumen, while terming the state government's role as nothing short of a drama, claimed: "People of the state will not forget the drama that chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and some CPI-M leaders were enacting. Even during Eid, both Hindus and Muslims, had taken out a procession in Rizwanur's memory, demanding punishment of the accused."

Maoists also called on the people to boycott all events and functions organised by CPI-M leaders and stay away from makeshift book stalls being put up by the party's branch committees at pandals during festival days. "We should not forget the injustice meted out by this government and the CPI-M, be it in recent incidents involving Singur, Nandigram, Rizwanur Rehman or corrupt rationing practices, even as we get together to celebrate Durga puja," the statement said.

The statement of CPI (Maoist) that has been in circulation for the past seven days, has caught the attention of the CID's Naxal Cell and the state's Intelligence Branch.

Even the Special Branch of Kolkata Police has been asked to keep an eye on anyone who may be seen to be distributing the statement in areas around Rizwanur's house in Tiljala Lane.

Some pamphlets (scanned copies above) containing the statement have been seized from areas in South 24-Parganas, Nadia, Midnapore, Hooghly, Midnapore East and West.

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