Tension gripped Kolkata’s Bhowanipore area on Tuesday after enraged locals attacked the father and stepmother of 11-year-old Suranjana Singh, whose body had been found a day earlier in a partially hanging position from a noose inside a cupboard at their Alipore residence in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas.
According to the police, Suranjana was the niece of Sanjay Roy -- the main accused in the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case -- who is currently serving a life sentence for the killing of an on-duty doctor.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of public anger as residents confronted Bhola Singh and his wife Pooja, accusing them of cruelty toward the child. Locals dragged the stepmother “by her hair” and beat her, while the father “was also thrashed with shoes,” police said. Officers arrived soon after and rescued the couple, escorting them to the Alipore police station to prevent further violence.
Suranjana, a Class 5 student, was reportedly found hanging inside a wardrobe with a piece of cloth around her neck. Her stepmother had gone out briefly to buy Diwali crackers and discovered the body upon returning home. The girl was rushed to SSKM Hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.
Police have registered a case of unnatural death and are investigating the matter. “Initial probe suggested suicide. However, a possible homicide is not being ruled out,” a senior officer confirmed. The detailed post-mortem and forensic reports are awaited.
Neighbours have told investigators that constant fights were common in the household. They alleged that the child was routinely subjected to both physical and emotional abuse. “The child was often thrown out of the house at night, even as late as 2 am. The mistreatment had left her deeply traumatised,” one neighbour claimed.
The victim’s grandmother said the girl was beaten with belts and that “her head was often banged against walls under one pretext or the other.”
Police sources revealed that Bhola Singh had first married Babita, Sanjay Roy’s elder sister, with whom he had Suranjana. Following Babita’s death by suicide a few years ago, he married her younger sister, Pooja.
It is reported that on Sunday, when the incident occurred, no one else was home. The stepmother reportedly returned to find no response from the child despite repeated calls. After breaking in and searching the house, she opened the wardrobe to discover the girl hanging from a hanger inside.
Reacting to the tragedy, Bhola Singh told reporters, “I have no child left. There is no meaning to my life anymore.”
Police officials stated that all angles are being examined and that statements from family members, neighbours, and the victim’s schoolmates will be taken to piece together the truth behind the young girl’s death.
With inputs from PTI
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