Four years after the night that shattered the Khan family of Howrah in West Bengal, the once-loud outcry for justice has faded into silence. On February 18, the family marked the fourth death anniversary of student leader Anish Khan, a case that has now become a solitary and weary struggle for his loved ones.
According to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) Anish died from a fall from the second floor of his residence.
But the family claims Anish was murdered.
Anish’s brother, Sabir Khan, says the momentum that once brought crowds to their doorstep has vanished, leaving the family to navigate a legal maze that feels like a dead end. “With no court dates in three months, we fear the case has gone cold,” Sabir said.
“On February 18, we observed the fourth year of his death. Today as we continue to fight for justice, none is in the lock up. Four police officials who were caught initially were released on bail within 3 months. We are left with nothing,” he says.
The physical and financial toll has been devastating.
Sabir, who once worked in an army mess in Sikkim through a third-party contractor, had to abandon his job to attend court hearings.
“I was working through a third party in the army mess in Sikkim. Post this incident I had to come home. My priorities changed post that it became mandatory for me to attend court hearings. Every week we would have a date. Eventually in 6 months I was notified that they didn’t require my service anymore. Now, we have limited money through agriculture and families of 8 are surviving like this,” he said.
Sabir even tried entering politics on a Left Front ticket to seek a platform but lost the panchayat election
The family’s hopes were pinned on Anish, a bright student activist.
“Anish died, and our family had high hopes from him. I was earning, but now I am unemployed. This is how life has changed in the last four years for us,” Sabir said. While life has moved on for others—including a minor niece who once symbolised the protests and has since married—the Khan family remains frozen in the trauma of February 2022.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) concluded in an 82-page chargesheet that Anish died from a fall from the second floor of his residence.
But the family insists he was murdered. Anish’s father, Salem Khan, recalls that night when men in police uniforms and civic volunteer gear entered their house at 1:10 am. Despite calls to Amta police station, just nine kilometres away, it took officials seven hours to arrive. Forensic experts reached the scene 48 hours later, by which time the family believes crucial evidence was lost.
The SIT had eventually dropped the initial murder charges, opting instead for Section 304A (causing death by negligence) and criminal conspiracy. All accused officers, including home guard Kashinath Bera and civic volunteer Pritam Bhattacharya, have since been released on bail.
However, police maintain the investigation was based on forensic findings. “It was found he died due to a fall from height. It was a fair investigation, and since the matter is now in court, I would not like to talk about it further,” a police official said.
Anish’s family sees parallels with other tragedies in West Bengal, such as the RG Kar incident and the death of a Jadavpur University student, and believes there is a pattern of unanswered questions. “It was a planned murder. Even in our statement before the magistrate, all our family members accused cops of targeting and killing my brother, but nothing happened,” Sabir said.
As legal proceedings stall and visitors disappear, the family clings to memories. “If Anish was alive, life would have been different for us. One death, and now the entire family of eight members have lost purpose to live,” Sabir said.