Two government agencies allegedly squabbled for more than three hours over who would remove a deceased man hanging from a tree while shocked onlookers witnessed the disturbing scene in a busy neighbourhood near the railway tracks off Dum Dum station.
Throughout the prolonged discussion, officers from Sinthi police station and the Government Railway Police (GRP) couldn’t determine whose jurisdiction applied as the body remained suspended.
After approximately three hours of deliberation, officers from Sinthi police station, under Kolkata Police, finally removed the body.
A senior railway police official explained that according to railway regulations, only 10 metres on either side of the railway tracks fall under railway police jurisdiction. “Anything beyond this 10-metre boundary is the responsibility of the local police station,” he said.
Another railway official noted their jurisdiction was clearly marked with milestones, insisting “there is no confusion”.
However, no visible markers exist to distinguish the jurisdictions between adjacent police stations, which apparently complicated matters further.
Many in the neighbourhood reported there was also “confusion” over whether it is Sinthi’s jurisdiction or some other police station’s. “Hundreds of people passed by. We all saw the man hanging for hours. The authorities will be able to tell why they did not remove him earlier,” said a resident, Mahesh Thakur.
Authorities identified the deceased as Prasanta Saha, 26, from Deganga in North 24-Parganas, some 40km away from the spot. Saha was attached to a kitchen appliance company.
After removal, the body was transported to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital where death was confirmed.
Several residents complained that the inter-agency dispute caused significant distress to the community.
“We discovered the body around 6am. It took them more than three hours to decide who would remove it. The situation was both inhumane and traumatising,” said a resident who requested anonymity.
A senior Kolkata Police officer from the North division, which oversees Sinthi, explained that the body was found in a bushy area near the railway tracks between Dum Dum and Belgharia stations. The “initial confusion” stemmed from the body’s proximity to railway tracks, he said.
“We didn’t want to disturb the scene until we confirmed our jurisdiction. Initially, we believed it fell under GRP jurisdiction. The body was found between Dum Dum and Belgharia, which aren’t in our area. Later, we determined this land was under the Sinthi police station,” the officer added.
The police indicated their preliminary investigation suggested suicide. “We haven’t found any suicide note. It appears to be a case of hanging. The body has been sent for postmortem,” said an officer from the North division. An unnatural death case has been registered.
Investigators are examining how Saha, a Deganga resident, arrived at the location and what might have prompted his death.