A departmental inquiry has been started against the officer who was on duty at Dum Dum police station on Wednesday night for allegedly failing to act on the complaint made by the son of the artiste couple Partha and Gouri Ghosh.

Sub-inspector Nimai Sarkar has been asked to explain why he did not inform his superiors about the complaint against a group of youths who had allegedly hurled bricks at the couple's apartment in the Dum Dum Cantonment area and threatened to kill their son Ayon.

The attack and the threat followed Ayon's complaint about loudspeakers being played at night in the name of Saraswati Puja.

'Ayon Ghosh, the complainant, alleged that despite several calls to Sarkar, no police team had come to their apartment. We are conducting an inquiry to ascertain Sarkar's role in dealing with the complaint,' said Ajay Thakur, deputy commissioner, detective department, Barrackpore commissionerate.

The police, however, are yet to collect the audio files of the conversations between Ayon and Sarkar. The elocutionists' son has said he had recorded his telephonic conversations with the sub-inspector on his cell phone.

The departmental inquiry against Sarkar, a source in the commissionerate said, would find out whether he was guilty of dereliction of duty. 'If the investigation finds the allegation against the policeman true, a departmental proceeding to take action against him will start. The action may result in suspension or sacking of the officer,' the source said.

Usually, a departmental inquiry does not have any deadline. 'But this inquiry will not take too long. The audio files recorded by Ayon Ghosh will help prove whether the officer was guilty of dereliction of duty or not,' the officer said.

Sources at the commissionerate said Sarkar had apparently misled the complainant, saying policemen in plainclothes had left the police station on foot for his apartment.

'The complainant and his family members had spotted a police vehicle. No policeman on foot was seen,' said a senior officer. 'Sarkar has been asked to explain it.'

The officer said the policemen who were patrolling the area in two vehicles had been questioned. 'We are trying to know what message they received from Sarkar immediately after Ayon had lodged his complaint over the phone. Did Sarkar ask the patrolling policemen to reach Ghosh's apartment promptly after the caller mentioned that his house was being pelted with bricks,' the officer said.

More arrests

Two accused were arrested on Friday, taking the number of people behind bars in the case to five. Those picked up during the day have been identified as Ujjwal Saha and Gautam Pramanik, residents of the area where the Ghoses live. Three were arrested on Thursday, of whom two are minors.