Whistleblower passes away, son vows to finish his work

Whistleblower Kasim Khan, who had conducted a sting operation in 2013 in Kurla (east) where 36 policemen from the Nehru Nagar police station were caught on camera taking bribe — and were subsequently suspended, died on Monday due to a heart attack.

His son Rizwan said, “My father had a lot of tension because of the case. Apart from this, we had also become a thorn in the sides of corrupt BMC officials who took hefty bribes to allow illegal constructions in a slum at Chembur. We had complained against them to the concerned authorities (as reported by The Asian Age earlier this year) but no action was taken. He was under tremendous pressure as he was fighting a battle against the police as well as the BMC. It finally took a toll on his life. He had left every other work and was concentrating to ensure that he took the case to its logical end despite the financial issues.”

“Even the security provided to us was a farce and we had evidence to prove the same in form of CCTV footage showing their lackadaisical attitude (as reported by this newspaper earlier this year). We had approached the court informing them about the loose security, but instead the police department filed a false affidavit in the court. My father has passed away but it does not mean we will stop pursuing the case. My brother and me will take the case to its logical end,” said Rizwan soon after he completed his father’s last rites on Tuesday.

In 2013, Khan had made a sting operation where policemen were caught taking bribes to allow an illegal construction. He had given the CCTV cameras to the Anti-Corruption Bureau but had stated that it was not taking any interest. Rizwan had said that they had to take interest after the media flashed the footage. The case is still pending in the court.