THE BODY of a nurse who was found dead Thursday at a private nursing home in Singur, Hooghly, was taken to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Kalyani on Saturday morning for post-mortem examination. This was after the family members of the woman, who was in her 20s, objected to the autopsy being conducted at Medical College, Kolkata.
According to AIIMS sources, the autopsy began at 10 am in the presence of a magistrate and the nurse’s family members and the entire process was being video-graphed. After the autopsy was over in the afternoon, the family was set to take her body for the final rites. The autopsy report is awaited, sources said.
The family alleged that the nurse was sexually assaulted and murdered after she uncovered irregularities in the nursing home’s operations. However, the management denied all the allegations, claiming that she died by suicide. The woman had joined the nursing home just four days before her death.
The nurse’s father told mediapersons, “We do not have any faith in the state police or administration, which is why we want the autopsy to be conducted by a Central hospital. Also, we want a central agency to conduct the probe into my daughter’s death.”
BJP MLA Ambika Roy said, “Already three days have passed since the body was with the police. The family wants a CBI probe as they do not have faith in the state machinery. We also want that; we stand with the family.”
The nurse’s father filed a complaint at the local police station, accusing the hospital authorities of being responsible for her “murder.” He also demanded videography of the autopsy in the presence of a magistrate to ensure transparency.
The police said the nurse’s mobile phone had been examined. Sources indicated that messages recovered from WhatsApp revealed the victim had a heated argument with her boyfriend, who was apparently refusing to marry her due to their age difference.
The police have detained the nursing home owner and the woman’s boyfriend for questioning. A senior police officer said the boyfriend told them that the nurse was depressed after he refused to marry her as she was older than him.
The body was first taken to a hospital in Serampore for post-mortem examination. However, the family felt that the hospital lacked proper facilities, and they claimed that the police then insisted that the body be taken to Kolkata.
A protest broke out and demonstrators, including BJP supporters, clashed with police in an attempt to break into the hospital, citing “inadequate” facilities.
The body was then brought to the Kolkata Medical College. Tensions rose when BJP and CPI(M) supporters arrived on the spot and alleged that the police were trying to hide something and forcing the family to conduct the autopsy in a state-run hospital.
According to sources, the father refused to grant permission for the autopsy at the Medical College and agreed only when it was decided to be conducted at AIIMS, Kalyani.
The nurse’s death occurred one year after a postgraduate trainee doctor was raped and killed at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in August 2024. A civic volunteer, Sanjoy Roy, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime.