WB-BODY-HOSPITAL

Police send BJP worker's body to home district from Kolkata
hosp without informing family
    Kolkata/Suri, Sep 10 (PTI) The body of a BJP worker
who succumbed to gunshot injuries at a hospital in Kolkata was
sent to Birbhum district, from where he hailed, by the police
without the consent of his family, the victim's wife said on
Tuesday.
    Swarup Garai was shot at during a clash reportedly
between the activists of BJP and Trinamool Congress at
Ramkrishnapur village under Nanoor police station in Birbhum
district on Friday. He was shifted to the NRS Medical College
and Hospital in Kolkata where he died on Sunday.
    Garai's wife Chaina said she had on Monday sought
permission to take her husband's body from the hospital to the
BJP headquarter in the city as per his last wish, but the
police turned down her plea saying it could lead to law and
order problem.
    "They had asked me on Monday to come this (Tuesday)
morning and take the body. But when I reached the hospital, I
was told that the body was sent to Bolpur and we have to
collect it from there. My consent was not taken about this. I
am unable to understand why the police did it," she said.
    Though the police have been tight-lipped about the
incident, Chaina along with BJP leader Anupam Hazra lodged a
complaint at Entally police station about the "missing body".
    She said the body was sent to Bolpur Sub-divisional
Hospital late on Monday night by the police and some notices
were pasted on the walls of their house in the village that
the body would have to be collected from the facility.
    Chaina was in Kolkata, and their other family members
who were in the village found the notices in the morning.
    However, when she reached the morgue of the Bolpur
hospital, the authorities sought a letter from the
sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) to hand over the body.
    Following this, BJP workers started a protest
demonstration in front of the morgue and put up a road
blockade near the hospital.
    Discussions started between the SDPO and the BJP
leaders in the evening.
    Later, Garai's family members said they would not
collect the body on Tuesday night.
    Meanwhile, BJP activists were also demonstrating in
front of the office of the district superintendent of police
at Suri demanding arrest of those involved in the killing of
Garai and the clash at Ramkrishnapur.
    Police sources said at least 15 people of both the BJP
and the Trinamool Congress camps were arrested in connection
with the clash. PTI COR SCH
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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from a PTI feed.)