Suspecting him as thief, junior docs slice off mentally unstable youth’s genital, leave him to die

By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,

Kolkata: A mentally unstable youth, undergoing treatment at Nilratan Sarkar Medical College here, died after junior doctors, suspecting him to be a thief, beat him black and blue and later allegedly sliced off parts of his genital at their hostel.


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Police have neither made any arrest nor there’s any headaway in the investigation into the death of Kurpan Shah, 28, a poor zari worker from Kaijhuri Shahpara village under Uluberia police station in Howrah district. West Bengal government too has ordered an enquiry and constituted a seven member team.


Kurpan Shah, killed by Junior doctors of NRS Medical College in Kolkata.
Kurpan Shah, killed by Junior doctors of NRS Medical College in Kolkata

Human rights organization Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) staged a protest demonstration in front of the NRS Medical College on Wednesday demanding arrest of the culprits.

According to Shah’s family, he was undergoing mental treatment at the Kolkata’s medical college since November 14.


Wife of victim Kurpan Shah Arjina Begum with her children.
Wife of victim Kurpan Shah Arjina Begum with her children

Hostel source said, a group of junior doctors, mostly 3rd and 4rth year interns, were playing cards and consuming liquor on Saturday night at one of the rooms of the Annex building of the NRS hostel late on Saturday night. In the wee hours of Sunday, November 16, the students felt that someone peeped into their room and came out to find Shah, who they suspected to be a thief, the sources added.

“Without any interrogation, the students allegedly beat him up, stripped him naked and tied him up to a pillar in the carom playing room where the junior doctors allegedly sliced off part of his genital,” the sources added.

One of the students apparently called in police, who found Shah dead.

State Minister of Heath Chandrima Bhattacharya has ordered an enquiry and constituted a seven member team for the same. Under the DC ESD Dhurabajyoti Dutta, Kolkata police too have started their enquiry but even after four days, no one has been arrested.


House of victim Kurpan Shah at Kaijhuri of Howrah.
House of victim Kurpan Shah at Kaijhuri of Howrah

Principal of the NRS Medical College Manju Banerjee said the enquiry is going on but she cannot comment in the matter.

Meanwhile, Shah’s family, especially his wife Arjina Begum, came to know of his death only after some villagers from Kaijhuri saw the news with visuals on local television news channels.

Arjina Begum said, Shah was seriously injured in a motor bike accident three years ago and since then was facing mental instability. He was the only earning member of the family comprising Arjina, four children and Shah’s mother. His eldest son reads in class 4, second in class 3 three, third is three-year-old followed by a six month old.

State secretary of All Bengal Muslim Youth Federation Muhammad Kamruzzaman has offered to bear the cost of education for Shah’s sons for whole life. However, neither the Government nor the NRS Medical College has announced any compensation for the victim.


Human rights organisation APDR activist shows protest in front of NRS Medical College.
Human rights organisation APDR activist shows protest in front of NRS Medical College

About 500 activists of the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) staged a protest demonstration in front of the NRS Medical College on Wednesday. Its state president Ranjit Sur has demanded at least Rs 10 lakh as compensation and a government job to the victim’s family.

“Those doctors who are responsible to save a patient actually killed the mental patient without any verification. The murderers should be punished,” he said.

On Thursday, Shah was cremated in his village Kaijhuri after a post mortem. The villagers arranged for the Kafan for the poor zari worker. Local MLA Pulak Roy told journalists that he knew that Kurpan came from a very poor family and was not a thief.

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