Bhangar victim's father petitions HC, seeks independent probe

Father of Mofizul Khan, who died of alleged gunshot wounds at Bhangar during an agitation over setting up of a power grid substation, filed a petition before the Calcutta High Court today seeking an investigation into the death by an independent agency other than the state police.
Sukur Ali Khan filed the plea seeking a probe by an independent agency into the death of his son and also prayed for compensation to the family, his counsel Jayanta Narayan Chatterjee said.
Khan claimed that since the allegation of firing was against the West Bengal police, the investigation should be done by an agency other than the state police or the CID.

Submitting that the family of Mofizul had not accepted a compensation of Rs two lakh given by the state government, Chatterjee said that the petitioner has prayed that the court should decide on the amount of compensation to be given by the state.
He said that Mofizul was survived by his wife and three children, apart from his parents.
The petition is likely to be taken up for hearing next week by the high court, he said.
Mofizul had died of alleged gunshot wounds during an agitation on January 17 at Bhangar in South 24-Parganas district over setting up of a power grid substation and high-tension power lines there.

The police had denied that it had resorted to any firing and claimed that the death had occurred during clashes between two groups of agitators.