Rizwanur Rahman
| Md. Rizwanur Rahman | |
|---|---|
Rizwanur Rahman
|
|
| Born | 1977 Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Died | 21 September 2007 Kolkata (Near Railway track) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Computer graphics trainer |
| Spouse(s) | Priyanka Todi |
| Children | None |
Rizwanur Rahman (1977 – 21 September 2007) was a 30-year-old computer graphics trainer who committed suicide according to the police, but is believed to have been murdered by his in-laws after marrying Priyanka Todi, daughter of billionaire Industrialist Ashok Todi.
Rizwanur Rahman, a middle-class man, met the 23-year-old Priyanka Todi, daughter of Ashok Todi, owner of Lux Cozi, at the graphics training school where he taught. They began an affair, which was kept secret from their families.
It is believed that on 18 August 2007, the two secretly married according to the Special Marriage Act to which a few close friends and colleagues of Rizwanur were witnesses. The two families were not informed about the marriage and no witnesses were declared in the case later on.
After the ceremony, Priyanka went back to the Todi family, and Rizwanur continued his work at the multi-media centre. In late August, Rizwanur Rahman approached his brother and confessed to having secretly married. On 31 August, he brought Priyanka home to his family's small apartment in a working class Muslim neighbourhood. He and Priyanka signed and sent a letter to the police asking for protection from her father.
Later, Priyanka would say: "My mind was a blank... I was just signing whatever letters Rizwan was telling me to sign. I once told him we shouldn’t mention my father, but he said Pappu and Rukbanur had insisted that we frame the letters like that and they knew best."
It is alleged that Priyanka's father, Ashok Todi, and the Todi family were displeased that Priyanka had married into a lower income family, and Rahman, being a Muslim, exacerbated their displeasure. It has also been alleged that Rahman was told to "remove himself" from Priyanka's life and was also threatened by various fronts for this inter-religious marriage. On 31 August, Priyanka and Rahman notified the authorities that they were staying together at Rahman's house.
It has been alleged that due to an understanding with the Todi family, top level police officers of the state summoned the couple several times to State Police Headquarters at Lalbazar, Kolkata, and threatened Rahman of dire consequences if he did not separate from his wife. The couple refused. On 8 September, eight days after Rahman's marriage was certified, the police summoned Rahman again and threatened to have him arrested on charges of abduction if he did not return his legal wife to his in-laws, even though no official case was registered against him. Rahman was also accused of stealing a cell phone and other items from the Todi mansion. In a letter allegedly written by Rahman to an NGO before his death, he stated that he was ready to convert to Hinduism in exchange for a peaceful married life.
It is alleged that after police coercion, Rahman was forced to send Priyanka to the Todi house for a week that same day. One of Priyanka's uncles, who was present at the police headquarters, signed an agreement on plain paper in front of a police witness that Priyanka would be sent back to Rahman's house after 7 days, on 15 September, but this was never done. Finally a CBI probe has judged that he had committed suicide and they plan to charge Mr Todi with abetment of suicide.
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Wikipedia