Agartala: The arrest and 5 -days remand of Niyati Ghosh, the wife of slain driver of the editor in connection with the sensational murder of three newspaper employees in the office of the vernacular daily at Agartala two weeks ago raised serious resentment among commoners.
Police is accused of hushing up the case and turning the investigation by arresting Ghosh after 13 -days of the incident and accusing her of maintaining an extra marital affair with the murdered proof reader Sujit Chakraborty (31).
Counsel of the victim Ashish Bardhan alleged that her client had been harassed by the police to save the actual criminals because in the court, police could not make any comprehensive reply to query on forwarding that Niyati had illicit relation with Sujit.
“Though the court sent her to five days police remand, court also recorded the vital question if she had any relation with Sujit then why Sujit was murdered – it is a clear indication of misguiding the investigation of the case to save the actual criminals,” Bardhan argued.
The in-laws of Niyati has also stated to press that Niyati and Balaram had a congenial relation over past 17 years and they did not notice any loopholes in her character and police intentionally made the attempt to save the culprits.
Meanwhile, police stated that Niyati was arrested on suspicion following her inconsistent statements in different stages and contradicting the statement of her 13 -yrs old daughter Papiya who had claimed to be the eye-witnesses of the murder.
“Papiya several times stated one of the murderers wearing green T-shirt and blue jeans had come to their house ever before and she could identify him but Niyati refused to accept the claim. Moreover, police also recovered the clothes of Sujit from Niyati’s house,” claimed an investigating officer.
However, the police were tight-lipped over the investigation of the editor and proprietor of the newspaper Sushil Choudhury who had been suspected by the victim families for the crime; only attributed that nothing was found substantial to the association of Sushil to the crime.
Police argued in the court that Niyati calmly called her husband Balaram Ghosh from the bathroom without any agitation, which according to police was possible only when there was a pre-planned murder.
Meanwhile, a local newspaper on Sunday made a startling report on the role of police in investigating the case and quoted Niyatias saying that Sushil Choudhury had sexually harassed her several times and all three victims were informed of the matter, which could be reason of the murder.
The newspaper said on Friday night soon after detention of Niyati from Ganadoot Bhawan, Choudhury and a group of people went to police station with her daughter and compelled police to allow Papiya to meet her mother.
“But when Papiya was proceeding towards her mother, police recovered a small slip from her hand which said – ‘ if you open your mouth, your daughter will be killed.’ Unfortunately, despite recovery of the slip, the police neither questioned Papiya nor anyone of the team but rather suppressed the fact,” the newspaper report stated.
It also maintained in spite of repeated instruction to keep Papiya safe, Papiya was found loitering in the lonely locations of Palace Compound on Saturday and Additional SP Manik Lal Das and second officer of West Agartala police station Pranjit Ghosh picked up her from the street after getting call from locality members. (UNI)
