The Crime Branch investigation into the mysterious death of Ayush doctor Madhabilata Pradhan has pointed at lapses by both local and Government Railway Police (GRP) which has led to the embarrassing situation that the Government is faced with.
While investigation is still underway, probe so far has revealed that both Kumbharpada and GRP outpost did not bother to inquire with the other about the identity of the doctor even though her body was in police custody for four days.
This negligence could land police officials of the two stations in trouble as the investigating agency is likely to recommend strong action against them. The CB sources said, the GRP found the doctor’s body on October 12 on the railway tracks and kept it in its custody since post-mortem could not be held at night. The GRP did not deem it important to inform the Kumbharpada police station about the death and elicit information though both the stations are located a kilometre apart. On October 13, the post- mortem was conducted and the body was sent to the morgue where it was kept for three days but the GRP took no steps to seek information about the deceased.
Meanwhile, the Ayush doctor’s brother had lodged a missing person’s report with Kumbharpada police station on October 12 evening but the police made no attempt to inquire about her whereabouts. “Normally, police seek out information from GRP and neighbouring police stations in case of missing persons report. Here it was glossed over,” reliable sources said.
While the body was not claimed since family members were in the dark and police had no clue, the cremation and subsequent recovery of the charred remains led to a situation where the death took a twist. “Had the police not sat over the case, the case would not have taken such a turn,” sources added. While suicide is fast emerging as the reason behind the death, the CB is trying to study the career graph of the doctor to ascertain if transfer could be a reason. The number of times she was transferred, the circumstances and authorities behind the transfer are being investigated.