By Sujit Bhar
Two recent sets of gruesome murders have shaken Kolkata’s collective conscience. The first occurred on August 8 last year, when a 31-year-old post-graduate trainee doctor was brutally raped and murdered inside the government-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital while on duty. The second, a chilling triple murder, unfolded this February in the city’s Tangra area, where two brothers—from a prominent leather gloves business family—allegedly killed their wives and a young daughter before embarking on a failed suicide pact with one surviving child in tow.
Both cases captured headlines and dominated news cycles, yet they also revealed something far more disturbing: the drastically different treatment these cases received from Kolkata Police. One case saw the force shackled by political interference; the other allowed investigators to work with professional freedom. This stark contrast exposes not just the fragility of justice under political pressure, but the urgent need to insulate law enforcement from partisan control.
A Hospital Horror, A Bungled Probe
The RG Kar Medical College case was horrifying in its brutality and disturbing in its aftermath. The cast of characters involved stretched from the hospital’s principal, Sandip Ghosh, to political power players and top-ranking police officials. As junior doctors went on an indefinite strike in protest, the police zeroed in on a civic volunteer, Sanjay Roy, whose presence was caught on CCTV in the hospital’s corridors around the time of the crime.
The case against Roy rested on the claim that he was a necrophile—a rare psychological condition involving sexual attraction to corpses. The theory posited that Roy murdered the doctor to then violate her body.
The flaws in this theory were glaring. A necrophile is typically attracted to corpses, not living victims, making the premise highly tenuous. Moreover, Indian law does not explicitly list necrophilia as a punishable offence, leaving the legal framework ill-equipped to handle such a prosecution.
As the investigation descended into chaos, junior doctors amplified their protests, rallying outside police headquarters and symbolically presenting the city’s top cop with a “spine”—a stinging commentary on what they saw as the force’s utter lack of courage. The case was ultimately transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation, which compounded the fiasco with a botched investigation of its own.
The Kolkata Police’s role, however, remained under scrutiny. The victim’s body was hurriedly cremated, critical post-mortem protocols were bypassed, and evidence tampering was glaringly apparent—all glaring violations that were simply brushed aside. The investigation became hopelessly mired in politics, especially after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee personally intervened. Once it was alleged that CPI(M) elements were backing the doctors’ protests, the movement splintered, and the investigation’s credibility was irreparably damaged.
A Family Slaughter, An Unfettered Investigation
In stark contrast to the hospital case, the recent triple homicide in Tangra unfolded with chilling simplicity and remarkable investigative clarity.
On February 19, the bodies of three members of the prominent Dey family were found inside their home, showing clear signs of violent struggle. The Kolkata Police, unshackled by political interference this time, moved swiftly. Despite the absence of CCTV footage—the cameras had been suspiciously switched off—forensic evidence, witness testimonies, and circumstantial clues were skillfully pieced together to reconstruct a coherent sequence of events.
The investigation revealed that brothers Pranay and Prasun Dey—who were later injured in a car crash—had tried to end their lives as part of a botched suicide pact. Earlier that night, they had allegedly killed their wives, Sudeshna and Romi Dey, as well as Romi’s young daughter, after their spouses reportedly refused to consume food laced with poison.
The brothers’ patriarchal grip over the household was further exposed when they forced their surviving male child to accompany them on a macabre drive around the city. Drunk and despondent, they ultimately crashed their vehicle into a Metro pillar on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. The child survived and later told police that both men were heavily intoxicated as they sped through the night.
The brothers cited business failures—exacerbated by losses stemming from the Russia-Ukraine war—as the trigger for their actions. However, Kolkata Police is treating this explanation with caution, investigating further to uncover the full truth. Notably, freed from political meddling, the force has been able to conduct a competent, credible investigation—earning praise for its professional handling of the case.
The Shadow Of Political Interference
The glaring disparity between these two cases—one crippled by political interference, the other conducted with professional independence—highlights the dire need to revisit police reforms outlined in the landmark 2006 Prakash Singh case.
The Supreme Court judgment in that case sought to sever the umbilical cord between politics and policing, insulating the force from arbitrary postings, transfers, and undue influence. Among its key directives were:
- The Director General of Police (DGP) should enjoy a fixed two-year tenure.
- Police Establishment Boards should oversee postings and transfers.
- Independent State Police Complaints Authorities should investigate police misconduct.
- State and National Security
Commissions should be established to ensure accountability. Almost two decades later, these reforms remain largely unimplemented. As a result, state police forces across India—including Kolkata Police—remain captive to political whims, compromising their independence and public trust.
Justice At A Crossroads
The gruesome murder of a young doctor, followed by the cold-blooded slaughter of three family members, are reminders that Kolkata’s citizens depend on a police force capable of delivering justice without fear or favour. When freed from political interference, Kolkata Police has the expertise to crack even the most complex cases. When fettered by political compulsions, it becomes an enabler of injustice.
The contrast between these two tragedies is not just a commentary on crime and punishment in Kolkata—it is a call to arms for real police reform, one that upholds the right of every citizen to equal justice under law.