Victoria death: Cop blamed for delay in taking her to hospital
SHILLONG: The magisterial inquiry into the mysterious death of Victoria Kharkongor (39) at Dispur police station on July 5 has blamed a sub-inspector of the police station for the delay in taking her to Guwahati Medical College and Hospital for more than 45 minutes.
The magistrate recommended disciplinary action against the police officer.
Victoria was found dead inside the washroom of Dispur police station on the night of July 5 barely hours after she was handed over to police by the authorities of International Hospital, Guwahati, alleging that she was creating trouble in the hospital after she was admitted there.
The version of the Assam police was that Victoria committed suicide at the washroom of the police station.
An official source said on Wednesday that the inquiry report submitted to the Deputy Commissioner by Additional District Magistrate Fakhruddin Ahmed pointed out that the sub-inspector indentified as one Thakuria had delayed for more than 45 minutes in taking Victoria to the hospital.
According to the report, the inordinate delay was the only lacunae found related to the case and the magistrate did not find any foul play.
Earlier, the Assam police had suspended Sub Inspector Pritilata Talukdar and Sub Inspector Sanjib Kumar Chettri as per the inquiry report of the Joint Commissioner of Police supported by post-mortem reports.
The reason for suspending )them according to the Assam police was that the two police personnel should not have brought Victoria to the police station at night, but she should have been taken to the Government Medical College and Hospital.
Assam Police had also arrested one Manbha Kumar Haijam Syiem from Shillong for abetment of suicide as he was in touch with the victim after the duo had stayed together at Hyderabad.
There was allegation of discrepancy in the CCTV footage at Dispur police station when Victoria was brought on July 5 night.
While the police had claimed that Victoria was brought to the police station at 7. 30 pm on July 5, the CCTV captured her at 8.11 pm and later at 8. 56, she had gone to the wash room. With this CCTV part 1 ends.
Later, when the CCTV part 2 starts, the footage shows as she was being carried out of the washroom after fifteen minutes.
When asked about the discrepancy, the magistrate, who probed the death, said over phone from Dispur that there may be some technical fault.
The mother of the victim had met the magistrate on Wednesday at Dispur and he has handed over the video footages of Dispur police to her.
The magistrate said that no witnesses from the public came forward to give statement during the hearing conducted by him though enough publicity was given through the media for the people to come forward. The magistrate took the statement of police personnel, doctors and nurses.
The magistrate did not see anything wrong with the Guwhati International Hospital authorities as the doctor there had handed Victoria to the police since there was no guardian with her with an instruction to take the woman to Government Medical College.
According to the probe report, Victoria appeared to be very normal when she was brought to Dispur police station, and there was no inkling for the police personnel about what was in store.
Though there were reports in the past that she had the habit of consuming alcohol, one the day of the incident, there was no sign of alcohol consumption. )