Woman at Diwali party dies after collapsing, father claims foul play
Times of India | 3 November 2024
123456 Kolkata: A 36-year-old woman, who was at a Diwali party at her boyfriend's house in Garfa on Friday night, died after reportedly collapsing on the staircase. She was taken to MR Bangur Hospital, where she was declared dead. The preliminary report of the post-mortem indicated internal haemorrhage.
Though no one has lodged a formal complaint, Bachchu Som, father of the deceased woman, Madhurima Roy, alleged foul play. So has her estranged husband.
But the woman's sister, Madhumita Chowdhury, who was also at the party, as well as the boyfriend, Bikash Dutta, maintained that Madhurima had collapsed on the stairs. But the boyfriend's mother, Durga Dutta, offered a different version of the events. The multiple contradictions have raised suspicion and police have decided to wait for a detailed post-mortem report before ruling out foul play.
"Madhurima's family says death took place as the woman was a habitual drinker and consumed a lot of liquor on Friday night that might have triggered a heart attack. But Bikash's mother Durga has claimed that Madhurima was alone in the apartment on Friday afternoon when she and her son went to meet a doctor (she is a terminally ill patient). She said that on their return, they found her lying face down. Assuming that Roy was sleeping, they didn't disturb her. But when she did not get up in the evening, they tried to wake her. When she did not respond, they dialled 100," said an investigating officer from the Garfa police station.
Roy was undergoing divorce and was under stress, neighbours told cops.
"The woman's family lives nearby. Her brother was at the police station but he did not lodge any complaint. He endorsed what his sister and the boyfriend had told us. We will wait for the post-mortem report to check," said Bidisha Kalita, DC (SSD). Additional CP (II) Murlidhar Sharna confirmed no complaint had been filed yet.
But Roy's estranged husband accused the boyfriend of murdering her. Som, her father, alleged Bikash abused his daughter. Residents of the area claimed Bikash had come out of a rehabilitation centre in Bansdroni a few months ago. He denied the claims.