March 13: The doctor at Ranaghat hospital who had said in a medical report that women were “raped” by the dacoits in Dhantola was found murdered on February 27, the Indian Medical Association’s Calcutta chapter said today.

The association met chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee at Writers’ Buildings today and demanded an inquiry into the death of Chandan Sen.

The secretary of the association, R.D. Dubey, said Sen went missing from his Ranaghat residence on February 26. His body bore marks of multiple injuries when it was fished out of a pond in the area the next day.

“The (Dhantola) miscreants wanted to hide the facts. We have informed the police station there,” said Dubey.

A gang of dacoits looted two buses returning from marriage receptions at Ainsmali in Dhantola on the night of February 5. The men were asked to climb on to the roofs of the buses and some of the women were dragged to a deserted building and either raped or molested.

In the course of investigation, police and the Criminal Investigation Department arrested 23 people, including a zonal committee member of the CPM, Subol Bagchi, and former panchayat pradhan Saidul Karigar, also of the CPM.

Dubey said the IMA would investigate Sen’s death. “If necessary, we will start our own movement,” he added.

Immediately after Sen’s body was discovered, the district police described it as an “unnatural death”. Sub-divisional police officer of Ranaghat Arnab Ghosh had said: “An investigation is on to find out the cause of Sen’s death.”

Contacted this evening, Ghosh said: “We are waiting for the forensic report. We will be able to make a comment only after getting it.”

Sources said two victims were taken for medical tests to the Ranaghat hospital by an NGO, days after the incident.

District chief medical officer of health Prabhash Chowdhury said: “It is a co-incidence that the women were taken to the same hospital where Sen worked. He had no links with the medical test.” But why and how Sen died is still a mystery.