Bihar Cong MLA Shakeel Ahmed Khan’s son found dead, suicide suspected

Prominent Congress lawmaker Shakeel Ahmed Khan’s son, who was a promising English poet, was found dead at the legislator’s flat in state capital Patna on Monday morning, police said.

Police said the 17-year-old Ayan Khan was a student at a Patna school.

The teenager was last seen by his family at dinner on Sunday evening. He subsequently went to sleep in his room at night. “When he did not wake up in the morning, the family peeped into the room and found him hanging,” a police officer said.

Police said the legislator was on a visit to Gujarat’s Ahmedabad when the incident took place. He returned home later. As the MLA reached his house on Monday noon and saw the body of his alone son, he cried loudly after holding the body of his lone son.

Director General of Police (DGP) Vinay Kumar visited the spot and issued necessary instructions to the officials concerned. Later a forensic team visited the spot and collected samples from the room in which the victim was found hanging.

Patna SSP Awakash Kumar said that it was a case of suicide. “However, no suicide note has been recovered from the spot. A team of police officers along with the forensic team are already on the job. The police are looking into the matter from all possible angles.”

The SSP said, “The body has been sent for post-mortem. The post-mortem report is awaited. Once the postmortem report comes to us, we will share relevant information.”

Victim’s friend Umer Khan told the media that both the victim and his mother had returned home after attending the birthday party of a close friend on Sunday. “He was good at studies and always secured more than 90% marks in examinations, I had friendship terms with him since 2009,” Umar said.

“He was a cheerful boy. He enjoyed good relations with all his friends. How can he commit suicide? He was so cheerful, and I never saw him in distress. Life and death are in the hands of Allah, but I don’t think he committed suicide,” Umar said.

The DSP Sachilwaya Anu Kumari said that the teenager was found hanging from the ceiling fan inside his room at the government’s residence earmarked for MLAs under Gardanibagh police station, she added.

Sources said that the boy had gone to the birthday party on Sunday. However, he had dinner at his residence. Later, the boy had gone to sleep at around 11.30 pm. However, the tragic incident came to light at around 9am on Monday when the family broke the door of the room and were shocked to see that he was found hanging from the fan.

On January 18, the boy had met the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during a function in Patna and gave his painting to him in which he was praised by Rahul Gandhi.

Soon after the incident came to light, BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain visited at the house of bereaved MLA’s house and expressed his deep shock and condolences over the untimely death

“ It is extremely unfortunate. The MLA was not at home at the time, as he was in Ahmedabad,” said the BJP leader who described the boy as a well-behaved young man who had been focused on his studies.

Congress leader Kaukab Quadri said, “It was the biggest tragedy for us. We can’t imagine that such a young boy, who has grown in front of us, took such a decision.”

He continued, “Last night, he was at a function and I can’t say what went wrong.”

The MLA is a prominent politician from Bihar, India. He serves as a member of the 16th Bihar Legislative Assembly and holds the position of National Secretary of the Indian National Congress.