Cops wanted to play ‘counsellors’ to Rizwanur, Priyanka

Since the mysterious death of Rizwanur on September 21 last year, the police had maintained they were only acting on a complaint filed by Rizwanur and his wife about a threat to their lives. They were also following up a separate complaint by Priyanka's father Ashok Todi stating that his daughter was missing.

The public outcry over the alleged police interference -- which was suspected to have led to Rizwanur's unnatural death -- had forced the government to transfer the then commissioner, Prasun Mukherjee, deputy commissioners Gyanwant Singh and Ajay Kumar, assistant commissioner Sukanti Chakraborty and sub-inspector Krishnendu Das.

On Thursday, Samaraditya Pal, counsel for the five tainted officers, told the Calcutta High Court that his clients had called the couple to the Lalbazar police headquarters on September 1, September 4 and September 8.

Justice Dipankar Dutta, hearing the petition filed by Rizwanur's family, had asked Pal about the role of the police in their meetings with Rizwanur and Priyanka. Pal replied the police officers were acting on two separate complaints.

Justice Dutta then wanted to know how the police had dealt with the complaint filed by the couple, and how it had accepted Todi's complaint when the officers were aware of the couple's whereabouts and the fact that they were legally married.

Pal said: "The police often plays a role of counsellor or arbitrator to sort out family problems. This was a case of an inter-religion marriage and the police tried to settle the family dispute."

Justice Dutta then wanted to know the intentions of the police -- were they acting to separate the couple as desired by Priyanka's father Ashok Todi?

Pal is scheduled to file this reply on Friday. Earlier, he had contented that the media had distorted the comments made by Prasun Mukherjee at a press conference. According to Pal, Mukherjee had never stated categorically that Rizwanur's death was suicide.

To this, Justice Dutta asked Pal to place the video footage of the press conference before the court. Pal also sought to raise the point that Priyanka Todi should have been made an added party in the petition filed by Rehman's family.