Feb. 16: The high court today handed the investigation into the alleged custody death of Fardeen Khan to the CID.

The 20-year-old Kidderpore resident, who was arrested by New Alipore police on November 6 on the charge of theft, had died at SSKM Hospital on November 19 while in police custody.

After his arrest Khan had been sent to judicial custody till November 17. On November 16, he was produced in court in connection with a snatching case registered in Taltala police station and sent to police custody till November 19.

He was shifted to Lalbazar the same day and interrogated. The next day he fell ill and was produced in the court in advance. The court sent him to jail and asked the jail authorities to get him treated.

The jail authorities refused to take his custody considering his health, prompting the police to get him admitted to SSKM.

Justice Joymalya Bagchi, who issued the order for a CID probe following a plea by Khan's family seeking a CBI inquiry, also directed the state to set up a three-member committee of medical experts, headed by a representative of AIIMS in Delhi, for studying Khan's post-mortem report.

"The other two members of the committee should be experts from two state hospitals," the judge ruled. "The post-mortem report is not transparent enough. To know the truth, the report needs to be re-examined."

Khan's family members had lodged a complaint with Bhowanipore police station alleging that the youth had been tortured at Lalbazar. The petitioners alleged that Khan had died of injuries suffered during interrogation.

Salt Lake arrests

Four drivers were arrested tonight for allegedly assaulting Manish Saraogi after he protested their drinking and playing loud music inside a parked car in AE Block on Tuesday night.

A police team on the basis of a complaint lodged by Saraogi nabbed Ajoy Kumar Upadhay, 43, a driver who stays in the garage of a DB Block house, and Pappu Kumar Singh, 38, who stays at Chandiberia in New Town, from near City Centre in Salt Lake. Both hail from Bihar.

After questioning the duo, the cops arrested Ajay Roy, 35, who stays in AE Block, and Bijoy Kumar Mahato, a Maniktala resident, from Sector I in Salt Lake.