Prasun allegedly received assistance from Todi : Kshiti

Kolkata, Oct 3 (UNI) The intrigue over the death of Rizwanur Rehman took a new twist today as PWD Minister Kshiti Goswami alleged that Police Commissioner Prasun Mukherjee was said to have received assistance from industrialist Ashok Todi, Rizwan's father-in-law, in the CAB election.

''There are talks about Todi having provided assistance (to Mukherjee) in the CAB election. This signifies setting up of a relation. There are also talks about how far that relation acted in the incident,'' Mr Goswami told reporters at the State Secretariat in reply to a question.

He demanded that there should be an investigation into the allegation.

The Police Commissioner, who was amid a controversy following the mysterious death of Rizwanur, was also the CAB President.

However, Left Front Chairman and CPI(M) State Secretary Biman Basu said whoever might have tried to meddle with the marriage, would be punished.

''If somebody has opposed the marriage of two adult youths, he will get punishment according to the law irrespective of his stature and post,'' he told reporters while attending a rally in the city.

Mr Basu said the Government was already in possession of a preliminary investigation report on the incident but he was unaware of the content.

Allegations had been made by certain quarters that the Police Commissioner had tried to shield his subordinate officers, including two in the rank of Deputy Commissioner, who had allegedly threatened Rizwanur and forced him to part with his wife Priyanka at the instance of Mr Todi.

The body of Rizwanur, a graphic designer, was found on railway tracks on the northern fringe of the city on September 21 triggering allegation of a foul play from among his relatives because of the bad blood that his marriage created with his in-laws' family.

The state Government had ordered a judicial as well as a CID inquiry into the incident even as the Opposition Trinamool Congress stuck to the demand for a CBI probe.

Two police officers of the rank of Assistant Commissioner and Sub-Inspector were stated to have admitted to CID sleuths that they had summoned Rizwanur and his wife to the city police headquarters on the basis of a complaint lodged by Mr Todi despite the fact that both were adult to marry to their own choice.

They, however, stated that whatever they had done was at the instance of their superior.

Meanwhile, former Ranji cricketer and CAB Assistant Secretary Snehasish Ganguly created a flutter confirming a newspaper report that he had introduced Mr Todi's brother to the Police Commissioner not knowing the fact the family was grappling with the problem of an unwelcome marriage.

UNI