Bengal medical student found dead in hostel room; family suspects murder

Kolkata, Feb 27 (IANS) The family members of Pulak Haldar, a final-year student of Kalyani Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital and Medical College in West Bengal’s Nadia district, whose decomposed body was recovered from the hostel room, have claimed that he was murdered.

The autopsy of the medical student’s body will be conducted on Friday, and only after that will the medical reasons behind the death be ascertained, said an investigating officer in the case.

According to Sudhanshu Haldar, the father of the deceased medical student, several injuries and cut marks were noticed on the body of his son, which created suspicions about the possible murder. “This is surely not a case of natural death. We demand an in-depth and fair investigation into the matter. I do not want the investigation into the death of my son to meet the same fate as the case of the gruesome rape and murder of a junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in 2024,” he added.

Uttam Mondal, a relative of the family, said that Pulak was not just a meritorious and studious youth but also extremely well-behaved. “I, too, have noticed injury and cut marks on his face and belly. So, an assault on him before his death cannot be ruled out. I hope that there will be a fair and proper investigation into the matter,” Mondal said.

Preliminary investigation had revealed Pulak was last seen on February 20 when he went to the hostel canteen for a meal. Since then, he had not left the hostel premises and was not seen by fellow students or hostel authorities.

On Thursday (February 26), a foul smell was noticed emanating from his hostel room. When there was no response from inside, the door was broken open, and his decomposed body was discovered.

His family members have also informed the police that the last time they had a telephonic conversation with Pulak was on February 20, which is the day he went missing.

The family members have also claimed that in the past, Pulak had complained of facing bullying from other students during protests related to the RG Kar rape and murder incident. It was also alleged that he had academic difficulties, though these claims are yet to be officially confirmed.

–IANS

src/dpb