CID takes over Sarita murder case

Jorhat, May 19: The case related to the murder of postgraduate student and junior doctor Sarita Toshniwal inside the ward of the gynaecology department of Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh, on May 9, has been handed over to the CID.

Senior superintendent of police (CID) Debraj Upadhyaya told The Telegraph over phone from Guwahati that the government has already passed the order of handing over the investigation to the CID. A team, led by deputy superintendent of police CID Suleiman Ali, reached Dibrugarh yesterday and started work today, he added.

CID inspector Ranjit Singh has been appointed the investigating officer and he will work under Ali. A CID team had made preliminary inquiries into the case last week and left.

Police had arrested Kero Mech, a ward boy, who confessed to the strangulation on the day itself and Dipmoni Saikia, another junior doctor who worked in the same department as Sarita, based on the confession of Mech, was arrested the next day.

At first, Mech said he had committed the murder because he was belittled by Sarita. Later, he confessed that he had been instigated by Dipmoni who had promised him a permanent job.

Dipmoni, he had alleged had been earlier quite close to Sarita, but that later they had no communication.

He had further said Dipmoni had been a partner in the crime and had entered the ward through the NRHM side where there were no CCTVs and had worn a double pair of gloves.

Dibrugarh superintendent of police R. Bhuyan told this correspondent that circumstantial evidence and the confession pointed to Dipmoni but hoped the CID investigation would prove to be more conclusive.

On the setting up of a police station near the campus Bhuyan said this was not a security issue. “The setting up of a police station on the campus or nearby as demanded by students and junior doctors was irrelevant.”

Regarding the other demand of blocking the roads from villages, which passed through the campus, he said first alternative routes would have to be worked out before taking these steps and that the police were posted on the routes.