Four arrested for woman's death, exhumed body sent to Kolkata

Uday Chand Kumar, secretary of the home known as Rehabilitation Centre for Mentally Ill Persons (Women), cook Najiya Khatun and gateman, Mathur Patra were arrested last night, police sources said.

Two others, Tarumal Das and Prafulla Mallick, who buried the body of the 32-year-old destitute dumb woman, Guria, after her death on July one, were arrested this morning, the sources said.

Another person, Shyamal Ghosh, a resident of Uttarpara village near Khajurdaho, who allegedly harassed woman inmates of the home was absconding, the sources said.

The superintendent of the home, Bulbul Chowdhury, gave a confidential statement before a magistrate under section 164 CRPC as directed by the police, they said.

The body of Guria, which was exhumed last evening was sent during the day to the Medical College Hospital in Kolkata for post mortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of her death, the sources said.

The authorities of the home had claimed that the woman was killed when a ceiling fan fell on her head and she was buried after obtaining a death certificate.

The body was exhumed in the presence of Hooghly District Magistrate S Ranjarajan and Superintendent of Police Tanmoy Roychowdhury, after villagers alleged foul play in the woman's death.

State Women and Child Development minister Sabitri Mitra had yesterday asked the district magistrate to inquire and said that the state government would take strong steps against the authorities of the private home for burying the body without informing the police.