Furfura Sharif cleric, Pirzada Toha Siddiqui supports a CBI inquiry demanded by the family of the deceased student leader Anis Khan to probe the latter’s death.
Reacting to the alleged murder of Anis, Toha, considered a prominent cleric who is close to the chief minister Mamata Banerjee, told The Statesman today, “Anis was a brave student leader and his mysterious murder is a heinous incident. Such a gruesome killing of a student leader is unprecedented to us. Everybody across religious and political identities should condemn the incident demanding an immediate inquiry.”
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“I also support the CBI inquiry demanded by the deceased’s family and villagers. Their demand is legitimate and logical,” Toha said from Furfura Sharif in Hooghly where political leaders make a beeline for votes ahead of elections in the state.
“It is up to the chief minister to decide whether she will approve a CBI probe. She has already formed a special investigation team comprising senior police officials of state police administration to probe the murder,” he said. The cleric alleged that “Anis’ death exposed the sheer negligence of the state police and he could have been saved if the concerned police station responded to his complaint lodged with them and other administrative officers a few months ago. People would lose faith in the police if the government fails to nab the assailant or assailants soon. Culprits who have masterminded the operation must be arrested,” he said.
Political observers felt that Toha’s reactions to the student leader’s murder are significant 10 days ahead of a three-daylong annual religious programme at Furfura Sharif where several lakhs of male Muslims congregate.