Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Friday ordered to wind up the judicial inquiry he had ordered a month ago into the mysterious death of computer graphics teacher Rizwanur Rehman . “I have decided to withdraw the judicial inquiry,” Bhattacharjee said hours after the CPM secretariat asked the Government to do so. Ever since the Calcutta High Court, acting on a petition filed on behalf of Rizwanur’s mother, called in the CBI on October 16, there had been speculations within the Left Front as well as the general public that the judicial commission would serve no purpose. “I have taken the decision keeping the public opinion in mind,” Bhattacharjee said. The decision was delayed because he had to consult legal experts, political leaders and bureaucrats, he added. At its Friday meeting, party sources said, the secretariat spent most of the time discussing the Rizwanur case. Finally, it was agreed upon that the Government should withdraw the judicial probe. Before the CM made the decision public, former chief minister Jyoti Basu indicated the party’s mind while emerging from the secretariat meeting. “The CM will say whatever is to be said about the future of the judicial commission,” he told reporters. A senior CPM leader said: “The way the CBI probe is unfolding, the feeling is that the Government and the party will not be affected. We may have to take action against a few police officers at the most.” Having to wind up the judicial commission appears to be the second blow for Bhattacharjee in the Rizwanur case. Bowing to pressure from within his party, the Left Front and the public, the CM had to remove five officers of the Kolkata Police, including the commissioner and two deputy commissioners, earlier this month. The Government had set up the commission on September 27, six days after Rizwanur’s body was found. The Government had faced huge public protests at Park Circus near his home amid reports that the police had acted at the behest of Ashok Todi, Rizwanur’s father-in-law, and tried to arm twist the latter into dissolving his marriage with Priyanka.
