Murshidabad/West Bengal
16 DEC 2013:
Haji Akhtar Hussain, a social activist belongs to Murshidabad, had been struggling against the illegal supply of liquor which had become a nighmare for the poor people of the District Murshidabad, till he breathed last after being assaulted by criminals. He was running an NGO Nagarik Adhikar Suraksha Manch-NASM with an intention of uprooting the adulterated duping alcoholism which was killing the humanity. Its not only the social workers, intellectuals but he had succeeded in gaining a positive support from many a political parties including Social Democratic Party of India-SDPI West Bengal.
It was on 10 November 2013 that the activist was murdered in Vasudevpur, under a well planned conspiracy. This has triggered a furore in the entire Murshidabad and the surrounding areas causing a great amount of distress among the people. Its Vasudevpur wherein the alleged murders have their liquor factory.
“Its purely a political conspiracy in murdering Haji Akhtar Hussain. The illegal liquor barons Sunil Choudhary and Jagannath Chowdhary are being shileded by the government and police”, said Imtiaz Mollah in his address to the mass during a public gathering held at Shamsherganj Assembly of Murshidabad District.
Talking to the media persons, Tayed-ul-Islam, SDPI’s State President accused the infamous liquor businessmen Chowdharies in hatching a conspiracy in physically eliminating Haji Akhtar Hussain from the earth, for the victim had taken them on against their evil acts of destroying peace in the society. He said the accused Sunil Choudhary and Jagannath Chowdhary are the close aids of Trinamool Congress Party and that Mukul Roy, the TMC’s General Secretary is shielding them.
SDPI’s State Secretary Masud-ul-Islam, charged that Superintendent of Police Humayun Kabir too was hand-in-glove with the alleged murderers & the influential corrupt politicians. He said it is clearly witnessed from the stand shown by the police in the case that the government machinery has denoted the murder as an accident without any medical report or investigation.
About 48 false cases have been filed against those protested against the alleged killing. The police to crackdown on the intensive protests that followed after the alleged murder, went rampant in arresting a number of innocent youth just because they were protesting by blocking roads. In some places, the police practiced an inhumane attitude that even in the nights it shutdown the electricity and forcefully entered the houses of those supports of Haji Akhtar Hussain and arrested them after implicating them in false cases. This has instilled a sense of fear among the common people.
To seek people’s support, Social Democratic Party of India-SDPI activists staged dharnas at a number of places and organized corner meetings to get the people of fear. Under the Party’s leadership and many activists & intellectuals, a massive gathering was organized wherein the Party workers & supporters pressed the government in offering justice to the victim and stop the rampant goondaism by the government machinery. Hundreds of women too participated in the gathering.
The West Bengal SDPI leaders came down heavily on the Trinamool Government on the matter and said people are losing faith in the West Bengal government. It cannot ignore the utterly clear evidences of murder of Haji Akhtar Hussain conspired by the accused in which it is suspected that the government machinery too has played a vital role.
The Social Democratic Party of India West Bengal leaders put the following demands before the government:
1. Instigate CBI inquiry and book the culprits
2. Withdraw all the false cases filed against the innocents and give them unconditional bail
3. The liquor factories be evicted from Vasudevpur, Murshidabad