Rizwanur Rahman

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Rizwanur Rahman
Born	1977 Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Died	September 21, 2007 Kolkata
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Computer graphics trainer
Religious beliefs	Islam[1]
Spouse	Priyanka Todi
Children	None

Rizwanur Rahman (born 1977, died 21 September 2007) was a 30-year-old computer graphics trainer^[1] who committed suicide under pressure from various sectors in Kolkata, India.^[2] He was a graduate of St. Xavier's College in Kolkata. The case was investigated by CBI of India.

Contents 1 Love and Marriage 2 Allegations of police harassment and mental torture 3 Last days 4 Fallout 5 High Court ruling and transfer of the suspected officers 6 Bank Accounts of Rizwanur's relatives 7 Text messages from Rizwanur's mobile 8 Self-claimed Kidnap Witness 9 Priyanka's legal communique to her in-laws 10 Politicians' statements and rioting 11 Violence and Rioting by disaffected Muslims 12 Ruling Front's fear of alienation of the Muslim Voters 13 Final verdict 14 See also 15 References

[edit] Love and Marriage

A 23 year old Hindu woman named Priyanka Todi, daughter of an eminent industrialist Ashok Todi fell in love with a Muslim man Rizwanur Rahman, her teacher at a graphics training center. The affair was kept secret from Priyanka's family.^[3]

It is believed that on August 18, 2007, the two secretely married according to the Special Marriage Act to which Rizwanur’s few close friends and colleagues were witnesses.^[4] However none of the two families were informed about the marriage.

After the ceremony, Priyanka went back to the Todi family and Rizwanur continued with his work at the multi-media centre. In late August Rizwanur Rahman approached his brother and confessed to having secretly married. On August 31, he brought Priyanka home to his families small apartment in a working-class Muslim neighborhood.^[5] He and Priyanka signed and sent to letter to the police asking for protection from her father. Priyanka has mentioned that

"My mind was a blank… I was just signing whatever letters Rizwan was telling me to sign. I once told him we shouldn’t mention my father, but he said Pappu and Rukbanur had insisted that we frame the letters like that and they knew best."^[6]

Priyanka's father Ashok Todi and the Todi family were displeased that Priyanka had married a commoner, and Rahman being a Muslim exacerbated their displeasure.^[1] It has been alleged that Rahman was told to "remove himself" from Priyanka's life and was also threatened by various fronts for this interreligious marriage.^[7] On August 31, Priyanka and Rahman notified the authorities that they were staying together at Rahman's house.^[8]

[edit] Allegations of police harassment and mental torture

It has been alleged that due to an understanding with the Todi family, top level police officers of the state summoned the couple several times to State Police Headquarters at Lalbazar, Kolkata, and threatened Rahman of dire consequences if he did not separate from his wife. The couple refused. On September 8, eight days after Rahman's marriage was certified, the police summoned Rahman again and threatened to have him arrested on charges of abduction if he did not return his legal wife to his in-laws, even though no official case was registered against him. Rahman was also accused of stealing a cell phone and other items from the Todi mansion.^[8] In a letter allegedly written by Rahman to an NGO before his death, he stated that he was ready to convert to Hinduism in exchange for a peaceful married life. (This was probably a ply on his part as he never converted to Hinduism).^[9]

It is alleged that after police coercion, Rahman was forced to send Priyanka to the Todi house for a week that same day. One of Priyanka's uncles, who was present at the police headquarters, signed an agreement on plain paper in front of a police witness that Priyanka would be sent back to Rahman's house after 7 days, on September 15,^[10] but this was never done. Finally a CBI probe has judged that he had committed suicide and they plan to charge Mr Todi with abetment of suicide.

[edit] Last days

At her father's house, Priyanka Todi spoke to Rahman for the last time on September 11. On the September 15, Rahman tried calling Priyanka but was refused permission to speak to her by her parents. On September 18, a witness to their marriage was threatened with arrest by the police for "forcing Priyanka into marriage".

On September 19, Priyanka, still not sent back, Rahman filed a case with an NGO, documenting police harassment. According to his diary and conversations with close friends, he was also planning further legal moves to get his wife back.^[11].

Rahman died in the afternoon of September 21, about 2 weeks after his wife was forcefully separated from him.^[12] His body was found lying beside a railway line,^[13] with hands folded over his chest and a deep wound on the back of his head.

After his death, Priyanka met a state Women's Commission delegation and told them that: "There was no police pressure on me" and that "no police officer ill-treated me".^[14]

[edit] Fallout

Even before the post-mortem results were released, the then Police Commissioner Prasun Mukherjee brushed aside the death of Rahman as a "simple case of suicide".^[12] He added that cases of eloping, even by adults, were unacceptable morally. So the police had always intervened in such cases in the past, and would continue to do so in the future. When pressed on the legality of his comments (the Supreme Court had previously ruled that a legal inter-religious marriage should be protected by the police), the commissioner became angry and left the conference.

During primary investigations by the media, it was revealed that Mukherjee met the brother of Ashok Todi a few days after Rizwanur got married, and assured him of help from the police force to separate the couple. Mukherjee is also the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal. He won this post without contest due to an active support from the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, and also alleged financial support from Ashok Todi.^[1]

The suicide theory has been challenged by reports in the media.^[15][16][17] A train driver, who was the first person to see Rizwanur Rahman’s body beside the tracks, said that Rizwanur was not hit by the train he was driving.^[18]

[edit] High Court ruling and transfer of the suspected officers

On 16th October, 2007, the High Court ruled that the Rizwanur death investigation carried out by the State Government is illegal, and ordered a Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) enquiry.^[19] On 17th October 2007, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya stated that all five suspected police officers, including the commissioner Prasun Mukherjee, and deputy commissioners Gyanwant Singh and Ajay Kumar, who were fully aware that Rizwanur did not commit any crime according to law, but still actively participated in the threatening and torturing due to some unterstanding with Ashok Todi, will be transferred from their current posts with immediate effect.^[20][21] He also agreed to run a CBI enquiry according to the High Court ruling and said that if the transferred police officers are found guilty by the CBI, they will be punished according to law.

[edit] Bank Accounts of Rizwanur's relatives

During the investigations, it was alleged that several people including local goons and also some of Rahman's family members received money from Ashok Todi to sabotage the marriage. The CBI has checked the bank transactions of some close relatives of Rahman but the results are unknown.^[22] The family members of Rahman have denied taking any money, but said that a blank cheque was offered to them, which they refused to take.^[23]

The Telegraph reported that Rizwanur's family friend Syed Mohiuddin, alias Pappu, has admitted to the CBI that financial deal was made to separate Rizwanur Rahman and Priyanka Todi. Pappu, a family friend of the Rahmans, claimed that part of the amount he had taken from Pradip Todi, Priyanka’s uncle, had been passed on to Rukbanur Rahman, Rizwanur’s elder brother. The translactions involved Rs 5 lakh taken on September 13 and Rs 6 lakh taken September 19^[24]

[edit] Text messages from Rizwanur's mobile

A month after his death, while public opinion against the role of police was overwhelming, a series of text messages allegedly sent from Rahman's mobile just before his death were supplied to a few pro-government members of the media from an unknown source. Along with publishing the SMS details, some parts of the media also vigorously started to highlight the arguments of a suicide, and tried to turn the public opinion away from the role of the police force.

In India, it is illegal to record private messages of an individual unless he is suspected of a serious crime. SMS is considered private and Rizwanur did not commit any crime, so it is still unanswered who asked the mobile service provider to do so in Rizwanur's case.^[25] There are also questions about the authenticity of these SMSes, which are being published as follows:^[26]

To Mr. Ashok Todi: "Papa, there is 10 mins before I kill myself, let me talk to her for the last time", reads one message. (Timestamp: 21st September 9:24AM) To Mrs. Vimala Todi: "Mom, I will kill myself in five minutes, please let me talk to her".^[27] (Timestamp: 21st September 9:30AM) Both messages were sent in Hindi. It is claimed by Rahman's brother that Rahman being a graduate from a Catholic College, used English to send messages.

There are other rumors spread by some sources which said that Rizwanur sent one SMS to one of his friends that read "Please protest aloud after I am gone", and called one of his former "girlfriends" to express his desire to kill himself, which were later proved to be false.^[28][29] These facts also point to the possibility that Rizwanur was not the person who was sending these messages, if they are at all authentic.^[30] The CBI enquiry is still in progress and are expected to submit their first report to the Kolkata High Court within the third week of December.

[edit] Self-claimed Kidnap Witness

On November 3, 2007, a man named Indranil Ghosh claimed on a TV channel that he saw Rahman being kidnapped. His statements tallied with an anonymous letter previously sent to CBI in which it was claimed that Rahman was kidnapped the day he died.^[31] After interrogation, the CBI found some inconsistencies in his story and concluded that there was no concrete evidence that suggested such a kidnap took place.^[32]

[edit] Priyanka's legal communique to her in-laws

Priyanka Todi has sent a letter to her mother-in-law stating on November 6, that:

"Priyanka Todi will not return to the house of Rizwanur Rehman. She will stay with her father Ashok Todi at his residence. She is equally shocked after the incident as is Rizwanur’s family. Please return her belongings... including saris, greeting cards, personal diaries, photographs, birth certificates, school certificates and others."^[33]

The letter was delivered through a solicitor and was addressed to Rizwanur’s mother Kishwar Jehan.

Priyanka had asked her in-laws to explain how a private vernacular news channel could get hold of her photographs without her permission.^[34]

Rahman’s mother has termed Priyanka Todi’s letter as “rubbing salt on her wounds”. She said she was “deeply hurt” after reading the letter. She also said that she had expected her to attend the last rites of her son. She wrote back a reply which said: “You should have come to meet a mother who lost her son because of the conspiracy hatched by influential police officers and your father. It is a matter of deep regret that you have sent the letter through your advocate...”

Agreeing to return Priyanka’s personal articles, Kishwar said: “I am hoping that you will come yourself and take these things. It will be very unfortunate if I have to hand them over to an advocate’s peon or clerk instead of my daughter-in-law with whom I have no judicial dispute.”^[35]

[edit] Politicians' statements and rioting

The prominent Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat has stated that^[36]

"Police officers here were transferred over the death of Rizwanur Rahman in keeping with the “progressive culture” that existed in West Bengal. ..We are with Rizwanur Rahman’s family and want justice and action against those found guilty [of involvement in the death of the computer graphics teacher]”

In a statement dated October 15, State Secretary of the CPI (Maoists), Mr Soumen has stated:^[37]

"Rizwanur was murdered as he had dared to fall in love and later marry a Hindu girl ..The chief minister is not able to shield the guilty officers of Kolkata Police because of the public outrage against administrative high-handedness."

Front partner CPI has issued a state secretariat resolution stating:^[38]

“The youth was said to be well educated, decent and belonged to a cultured family. His unnatural death has shaken a large number of people. The public outrage following his death should not be undermined. The intervention of the Kolkata police in a marriage between two adults was not a healthy signal.”

Kshiti Goswami of the Revolutionary Socialist Party demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter. Forward Bloc Secretary Ashok Ghosh described the incident as “shocking and shameful”. He said an inquiry commission should be instituted immediately so that the Kolkata police cannot influence investigations into Rehman’s death.

Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee visiting the Rizvanur's family and hold the city police directly responsible for the tragic death. It organized a public rally in the city where Ms Banerjee and Rizwanur's relatives accused the CPI(M) leadership of "offering money" to them to hush up the case.^[39] Mamata Banerjee has said:

It has been 23 days since Rizwanur died. Today is the holy day of Id and we have been out greeting people on the occasion of Id. But in this neighbourhood no one is celebrating Id for obvious reasons. There have been no arrests and no progress in the case, "the foolish arrogant chief minister is thinking whether it is the right protocol for him to go and see the mother of the murdered son.^[40]

[edit] Violence and Rioting by disaffected Muslims

On Sept. 22, 2007, a violent Muslim mob went on rampage in the Park Circus area of Kolkata and set a police vehicle on fire when a rumour spread that Rehman's body had disappeared from the police morgue.^[41] More than a dozen Policemen were injured. They again set a Police vehicle on fire around noon. The area became a battlefield as the angry mob first blocked a road and then damaged a private bus. Some young Muslims were seen brandishing swords and shotguns . A few shots were fired in the air by Police. The mob then attacked policemen with bricks and yet another 4x4 jeep was set on fire.^[42] Heavily outnumbered and facing unprecedented ferocity from angry Muslim youths brandishing swords , machetes and shotguns , Police was forced to beat a retreat. It was only after senior Muslim leaders appealed for peace that the situation was brought under control. All in all , 17 Policemen were injured , and 14 Muslim youths were injured as well. 4 vehicles had been completely damaged - including 3 Police vehicles , including a special 4x4 jeep. Reports say that some senior Trinamool Congress leaders were openly inciting viloence and distributing weapons among Muslim youths.

[edit] Ruling Front's fear of alienation of the Muslim Voters

Muslims form a large fraction the voters in West Bengal.^[43] Members of the ruling front acknowledge that the police claim of Rizwanur Rahman committng suicide is alienating Muslim voters.^[44] MJ Akbar writes:

"..The fate of Rizwan ur Rehman, the young man whose death in suspicious circumstances has set off a firestorm in Bengal. The Muslim vote, my Calcuttan friend said bitterly, had become like an item number in Hindi films. It was used to pump up the box office, and then dumped completely from the script."

"Left bulwark in Bengal has been the substantial Muslim vote: Muslims account for 27% of the population and over 30% of the vote since they tend to vote in larger numbers. This support has weakened in rural areas because of Nandigram, and in Kolkata because of the case of a young man called Rizwan ur Rehman."^[45]

Veteran Bengali politician Jyoti Basu has said:^[46]

"'Yes, the state government's image has received a beating due to the delay in transferring the policemen who had allegedly coerced Rizwanur. We have suffered politically"

[edit] Final verdict

According to the CBI probe, the cause of death of Rizwanur was suicide.^[2] However the CBI charged Priyanka's father Ashok Todi, her uncle Pradip Todi, maternal uncle Anil Saraogi, three police officers — former deputy commissioner Ajoy Kumar, ACP Sukanti Chakraborty, sub-inspector Krishnendu Das, and Mohiuddin alias Pappu, who acted as a link between cops and the Todis, with abetment to suicide of Rahman.^[2] The CBI framed chargesheet against them for non-bailable criminal proceedings. The CBI also recommended departmental proceedings against former Kolkata Police commissioner Prasun Mukherjee and administrative proceedings against former DC Gyanwant Singh for interfering in the marriage of two consenting adults.^[2]

[edit] See also

• Nitish Katara
• Prasun Mukherjee

[edit] References