Residents of the posh gated community in Watgunge locality in Kolkata are yet to come to terms with the suicide of their most secluded and infamous neighbour, Partha De. The 47-year-old software engineer immolated himself in the bathroom of his 11th floor flat on February 21. In a bizzare twist of fate, Partha killed himself in precisely same way his father had—by setting himself on fire in his bathroom on June 10, 2015. Partha’s uncle Arun De cremated him on Friday.
Partha, known as the ‘Skeleton Man’, was living in his new apartment for a year after selling his ancestral property at 3 Robinson Street in Shakespeare Sarani—called the ‘House of Horror’ by a stunned nation—reportedly for Rs 46 crore.
“The post-mortem report states that Partha De committed suicide. He bought petrol and matches,” a Kolkata Police officer said. “On February 21, he sent his caretaker out for some errands, who returned to find the half-burnt body in the bathroom.”
Partha’s love for his sister saw him transcend into a life beyond death. After Debjani died on December 24, 2014, he built a phantasmic world around himself, refusing to believe she was dead, living in the same room in their sprawling apartment with her rotting corpse for over six months.
Next to their beds were the skeletons of Debjani’s two Labrador dogs. While Debjani was alive, she and Partha communicated through small notes scribbled to each other. After her death, Partha would run the air-conditioner in his room full blast 24x7 to mute the smell of the decomposing bodies.
Partha was shifted to Pavlov Mental Hospital on June 11, 2015, where he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and acute delusion, which had made him believe Debjani was alive. He was discharged in January 2016 after undergoing treatment.
“Schizophrenic patients have sudden changes of temperament and perception towards events, incidents, themselves and life as a whole. That phase is very dangerous. In one moment, a schizophrenic patient may see hope in life and the next moment he/she may see no purpose in living,” said psychiatrist Goutam Dey.
At Pavlov Mental Institute, Partha refused to believe his father and sister were dead. “At the beginning of his treatment when he was given tea and four biscuits, he kept one biscuit each for his father and sister. After he cremated the skeleton of his sister and the corpse of his father, he stopped keeping the biscuits for them. He had come to terms that his close ones were no longer alive,” a doctor at the institute said.
Police never accused Partha of killing Debjani. “We couldn’t possibly have made him an accused just because he was the only living person in the house. Moreover, his mental state was unstable. Many angles were looked into, including cannibalism, and even psychoanalysis was conducted. No solid evidence proved he killed his sister,” said a senior police officer.
However, charges such as public nuisance and negligent act likely to spread infection were slapped against him. Partha’s next hearing was days away from his death. His anxiety over the trial may have led him into depression, making him take his life.
Police are looking at motives that might have led Partha to kill himself—a property tussle, saddened by how the media projected him, and his urge to “reconnect” with his dead sister. Partha had posted her picture on his Facebook page two months ago.
At Partha’s Watgunge apartment complex, his neighbours say he was a loner and stayed to himself. “Even in the individualistic apartment culture of Kolkata, people exchange pleasantries or smiles with neighbours. Partha De never spoke with us. He always kept his head down and avoided eye contact,” said Riyaz Khan, who lives in the same building.
Another neighbour, Najma Bibi, said the soft-spoken Partha never bothered anyone and did not want to be bothered in return. “We never heard his voice. We only used to see him when he took out or parked his car. He never attended any social gatherings,” she said.
His friends believe Partha’s mental health was gradually improving. “Partha participated in a poem reading session last month. He was very happy on receiving the invitation. He was also progressing on his memoir. But media reports of his past bothered him,” said one of Partha’s friends.
“He was very lonely after his sister’s death and father’s suicide. Though he behaved normally and was calm, his eyes revealed his sadness. He was trying very hard to find a meaning to his life,” said another friend.
In his unpublished 75-page memoir, Partha describes his mental disorder and the trauma he went through over Debjani’s death. He wrote the last page a day before he committed suicide.
His writings portray him as being happy, looking forward to life, and his determination to leave his past behind. This may also have triggered depression by bringing back haunting memories of his traumatic past, his dead sister and father and the two dogs. In his death, Partha probably found the happiness he could not find in his City of Joy.
Partha De was found to be unstable and not fit for discharge from Kolkata’s Pavlov Mental Hospital, where he was sent in June 2014 after the skeletons were discovered. After the probe started in the Robinson Street case, police referred the case to the Institute of Mental Health in Singapore. In September 2015, doctors there submitted a 61-page report on Partha’s condition.
They said that as his father Arabindo committed suicide, Partha should be kept in hospital under security. The report said that in case he is discharged, his “mental state and behaviour should be monitored” closely. Pavlov had also prescribed regular medical supervision, regular medicine and frequent checkup at the hospital.