A 27-year-old woman died on Sunday night after her car met with an accident, allegedly while trying to flee from inebriated men in West Bengal’s Paschim Bardhaman district.
The deceased has been identified as Sutandra Chattopadhyay, a resident of Chandannagar in Hooghly district and the head of an events management company. Four others who were in the vehicle received minor injuries. They were going to Gaya, Bihar, on an assignment, police said.
The police, however, denied the charge of eve-teasing and said that CCTV footage showed the victim’s car following the vehicle of the accused.
The victim’s colleagues have filed a police complaint, based on which an FIR has been registered against unknown persons, said Suman Jawsawal, Assistant Police Commissioner of the Asansol-Durgapur police commissionerate.
No arrests have been made so far.
Rajdeo Sharma, who was driving Chattopadhyay’s vehicle, said, “We were at a petrol pump when those miscreants first accosted us and started abusing her. We ignored them and started towards our destination… When we reached Panagarh, the same car came in front of us and stopped. They tried to block our way by overtaking our vehicle, and in that process, there was a collision between the two vehicles.”
“In a desperate attempt to escape, I changed my vehicle’s direction and entered a service road on the highway. The miscreants followed us, and their vehicle collided with ours from the rear. We lost control, and the car overturned. We somehow got out of the car and got an ambulance to move her (Chattopadhyay) to a hospital, but the doctors declared her dead on arrival,” he said.
Chattopadhyay’s colleague Mintu Mondal said, “After the accident, we chased the miscreants but they managed to flee.”
Earlier in the day, a senior police officer had said that glasses with traces of alcohol were found in the car of the accused.
Addressing mediapersons in the evening, Commissioner of Police (Asansol-Durgapur Commissionerate) Sunil Kumar Chowdhury, said: “There is no evidence of eve teasing. We checked the CCTV footage in which we saw the complainant’s car actually chasing the vehicle of the accused. The car of the accused entered a service road. After that, the victim’s car tried to enter the service road, when it overturned.”
“We have already recorded the statement of the victim’s co-passengers. They also did not mention eve-teasing. We are investigating all possibilities. After an elaborate investigation, we will be able to say what exactly happened,” the Police Commissioner added.
The woman’s mother, Tanusree Chattopadhyay, said, “Eight months ago, I lost my husband. My daughter was my only support. I want stern action against those who did this.”
The incident triggered sharp political reactions, with the Opposition BJP slamming the law and order situation in the state.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumder said the incident reflected how unsafe women are in the state. “Under Mamata Banerjee’s rule, women in Bengal are unsafe everywhere – be it hospitals or highways. A woman was harassed and chased by miscreants on the national highway, leading to her tragic death. West Bengal has become a living hell for women. Every day, horrific crimes against women are reported, yet the government remains silent, shielding criminals instead of delivering justice.”
Responding to his accusations, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh urged the Opposition not to politicise the matter. “The police are doing their job. They are investigating the case, and we have full faith in them. Those who are questioning the law and order situation under the TMC rule should look at the conditions in BJP-ruled states and recall the poor law and order situation during the Left rule in Bengal,” Ghosh said.