Kolkata RG Kar doctor death: Parents were in dark about drunk molester's rally plans
Times of India | 3 September 2024
Tapas Paul during the scuffle on Sunday night (left) and after his arrest (right) KOLKATA: The 40-year-old Tapas Paul, a pest controller from Sahanagar off Sadananda Road, had told his parents that he was "upset" over the rape and murder of the RG Kar PGT doctor but had kept his plans of joining any protest under wraps. He was arrested on Sunday night for allegedly molesting a woman at a citizens' protest march on Sunday. Prima facie, cops suspect that he might have been paid to create trouble.
Paul had a busy Sunday responding to pest control calls before he returned home and asked his mother for an early dinner at 8 pm.He then reportedly left home without informing her where he was heading to. His father Bijon Paul, a CPM loyalist, refused to speak much about the arrest citing restrictions from lawyers and cops but accepted that his son had not returned at night. It was between 7 am and 7.30 am that they got a call from Hare Street police, stating that they needed to come down as their son had been put under arrest, said Bijon. The father insisted he had only heard claims that his son was "drunk" on Sunday night but claimed he saw no such signs in the evening.
The parents insist that their son was a victim of "circumstances" but said they were not aware if their son had attended other protests before. "He never shared his political beliefs with us. Do not bother us as we have been asked not to speak by our lawyers," said Paul's mother.
Police though brought a strong charge against the accused, stating he had touched a protesting woman inappropriately with a plan. "Primary investigations show that he might have been paid to create trouble in the protest. There were others who were present in the protest who worked along with him," claimed an investigator.
Police claimed that his interrogation was necessary to know who the mastermind was. "We sought Paul's custody till Sept 11. Our prayer has been granted. He has been charged under BNS 74, which pertains to molestation," said the public prosecutor.
"The accused was allegedly drunk and touched the complainant in an indecent way and thereby outraged her modesty," said additional CP (I) Murlidhar Sharma. The hunt for another molester from the site was still on.