12 Kolkata: Not just one but two elderly doctors — a homeopath and an MBBS — had apparently checked the body of the 54-year-old woman but didn’t flag any concern. However, while one stuck to norms and refused to issue a death certificate, the other — who stayed in the neighbourhood for decades — signed the certificate while scribbling “cardiac arrest” as the reason.
Fifty-three days later, police visited their chambers to alert them that the woman was allegedly murdered by her daughter and her boyfriend. The duo faced hours of interrogation by cops only to make a resolution to never sign a death certificate unless they were treating the patient.
Cops who recorded the statements said they were not doubting the doctors’ claims but said they were still not keeping them outside the purview of investigation.
“I didn’t observe anything unusual. The pupils were dilated and there was no pulse on the woman. There were no external marks of injury or anything unusual on her face and neck. I had asked the family and they said she was under medication for high blood pressure and often complained of chest pain. These were all tell-tale signs of cardiac arrest. Since they were locals, I knew the family and so I wrote the death certificate,” said Ranjit Kumar Dutta (74), a general physician who was attached with MR Bangur hospital four decades ago.
Dutta said he had even tried to tell the woman’s husband to take her to a hospital but ended up signing the death certificate under pressure from neighbours and the family.
“People surrounding me continued to tell me to sign the certificate as they wanted to avoid the trouble of taking her to a hospital, which would have declared her dead on arrival and would ultimately lead to a post-mortem examination and delay the cremation. But I realise I made a wrong decision,” said Dutta.
Speaking to TOI the other doctor, Ranajit Karmakar, who lived two houses away, said: “I too didn’t notice any foul play. But I refrained from issuing a death certificate as I had not treated her.”