KOLKATA — 2007 · Suspicious Death

Death of Rizwanur Rahman

Under InvestigationSources: ALast updated: 14 October 2026

The body of Rizwanur Rahman, a 30-year-old graphic design teacher, was found on 21 September 2007 on the railway line between Dum Dum and Bidhannagar Road stations in Kolkata. A few weeks earlier he had married the daughter of a prominent industrialist without her family's approval; his family alleged that her relatives and the police had pressured the couple to separate. The Kolkata police commissioner's description of the death as a 'simple suicide' caused outrage; the Calcutta High Court handed the case to the CBI, and senior officers including the commissioner were removed. The CBI concluded that the death was suicide but charged seven people, including the industrialist and three police officers, with abetment. The case became a symbol of debates over class and interfaith marriage in India.

Date: 2007
Place: Dum Dum, West Bengal, India, Kolkata, IN
Category: Suspicious Death
Case Status: Under Investigation
Coordinates: 22.6100, 88.4000 ↗

Timeline of Events

August 2007Rahman married the daughter of an industrialist's family.
21 September 2007His body was found on the railway line.

October 2007The High Court ordered a CBI probe; the police commissioner was removed.
2008The CBI ruled it suicide and charged seven people with abetment.

Sources

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