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Journalism of Courage
How involved were West Bengal police officers in the death of the promising young graphics designer, Rizwanur Rahman, whose body was found on the railway tracks in Dum Dum three weeks ago? This is a question that requires a convincing answer as early as possible. And it is in pursuit of that answer that the West Bengal Human Rights Commission on Friday summoned five senior police officers.
Much has written about the forces that were unleashed when Rizwanur Rahman married Priyanka Todi, after crossing deeply etched lines of religion and social status. The fierce opposition such marriages evoke is a familiar story, and not just in rural India. This April, the Bombay High Court and the MP High Court had to come to the rescue of a Muslim-Hindu couple from Bhopal, Mohammed Umer and Priyanka Wadhwani, who were facing death threats after their marriage. But what makes the Rizwanur Rahman case more intriguing is the possible involvement of top police officials in this death, either directly or indirectly. There are good reasons for this surmise. For one, it is a matter of record that senior sub-inspectors actually threatened Rahman to get him to part with Priyanka. Then there is the intriguing haste with which the police dismissed the death as a case of suicide. Kolkata Police Commissioner Prasun Mukherjee8217;s defence of the police action in his report is equally intriguing.
