Vira murder: Conduct hearing in fast track court, demands kin
The complainant in Santa Cruz’s 61-yearold RTI activist murder case demand ‘fast track court’ hearing in the matter, underlining that the deceased was fighting a ‘long legal battle’ against the local land mafia.
The RTI activist Bhupendra Vira was shot dead at point blank range on October 15 late evening while he was watching television at his residence in Kalina’s Razzak Chawl. “I want his (Vira’s) murder case be heard in a fast track court so that the culprits involved in the crime face immediate punishment within the ambit of law,” said 39-year-old complainant Sudhir Gala, who is Vira’s son-in-law.
Razzak Khan (78) and his son Amjad Khan (53) were arrested in the wee hours of October 17 and were remanded weeklong police custody that ends on October 24. A day after their arrest, the case was transferred to Mumbai Crime Branch to investigate the matter.
Amjad Khan has confessed to his crime saying that he was solely behind Vira’s murder and his father Razzak was not aware of his plan to kill RTI activist. Amjad has told his interrogators that his father was little upset with the number of notices Vira has managed to send for the illegal construction in and around Kalina area.
Amjad has also told the crime branch sleuths that he did a recce before killing Vira. Vira’s cold blood murder has left his family members including his two sons (who work in different states), and wife to live amid fear psychosis in Kalina.
The complainant further told this newspaper that his family members are still reeling under constant threat of the local land mafia. “He has been killed for raising voice against ex-corporator Razzak Khan and his sons. We are still reeling under constant threat of the local land mafia, as Razzak’s rest of the sons are still out of police net and they can go to any extent to take revenge for their (Razzak and Amjad) arrests,” said Sudhir.
“My father-in-law was a law abiding citizen and he raised voice against the former corporator Razzak Khan and his sons who are involved in various illegal activities including land encroachment, illegal construction, running illegal hukkah bar, etc,” added Sudhir.
The police remand of 61-year-old RTI activist murder case accused ends today. Mumbai police will produce the accused – father-son duo – before metropolitan magistrate court in Andheri.