R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital rape and murder case convict Sanjoy Roy at a court in Kolkata.(ANI)
Kolkata: Mystery surrounds the death of the 11-year-old niece of RG Kar rape and murder convict Sanjay Roy, who passed away a day after being found unconscious inside a cupboard at her home in Kolkata’s Alipore area, police said on Tuesday.
According to police sources, the minor girl, a sixth-grade student, was discovered hanging inside a cupboard in a residence at Vidyasagar Colony under the Alipore police station on Sunday evening. She was immediately rushed to SSKM Hospital, where she was undergoing treatment. However, she succumbed to her injuries on Monday.
The incident has caused shock and unrest in the locality. Police are probing whether the child took her own life or if foul play was involved.
“All aspects are being investigated. The real cause of death will be known after the autopsy report is received. A case of unnatural death has been registered at the local police station,” a senior Kolkata Police officer said on Tuesday.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that no one was at home when the incident occurred. Police learned that the girl’s mother, the sister of Sanjay Roy, had died by suicide a few years ago. Following her death, the girl’s father reportedly married his sister-in-law.
The minor had been living under the care of her aunt, who had gone out to purchase firecrackers on Sunday evening when the incident took place.
Neighbours informed police that frequent quarrels occurred within the household. On returning home that evening, the aunt reportedly called out to the child several times but received no response. After breaking open the door, she searched the house and eventually discovered the girl hanging inside a cupboard in an unconscious state.
The police were immediately informed. The girl was rescued and taken to the hospital, where she died the following day. Her body has been sent for post-mortem examination.
Initial investigations point towards a possible suicide, but officers said they are not ruling out the possibility of homicide. No formal complaint has been lodged by the family so far.
Local residents alleged that the child had been under considerable mental distress as she was often scolded by her father and aunt.
The girl’s paternal grandmother expressed anguish over the incident, saying, “They lived separately and never allowed me to enter the house. I couldn’t know what was happening with her. Can an 11-year-old really hang herself? Her mother took her life a few years ago, and then my son married his sister-in-law.”
On August 9 last year, the body of a postgraduate trainee was recovered from the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Sanjay Roy, the sole accused in that case, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court. He is currently lodged at Presidency Correctional Home.
With IANS inputs