Mentally ill man threatens to jump off fourth floor

KOLKATA: A man, believed to be prone to bouts of insanity, kept police and fire services personnel on the tenterhooks for nearly seven hours after he threatened to jump off from the terrace of a four-storey building in Kasba on Friday morning.
Cashewnut trader Manas Bhuniya (40) alias Chandan arrived at a Bengali-speciality restaurant in Kasba around 6.30 am and delivered two kg cashewnuts.Then, he told the kitchen staff that he was feeling unwell and went off to sleep.
Trouble began when Bhuniya woke up around 8.30 am. He suddenly grabbed a bonti (kitchen blade), rushed to the roof and climbed an iron ladder that led to the top of the stairwell. He started screaming and threatening those who tried to get him down with the bonti.
"One moment, he would call up people from his cellphone. Then, he would hurl stone chips and bricks at us. He asked for money one moment and the next, demanded that his wife Asha and children Ricky and Vicky be brought to him," said a restaurant employee.
When police brought Asha and the kids, Bhuniya kicked away the ladder and started thrashing the three. Around 3.30 pm, Asha succeeded in grabbing the bonti and threw it away. Immediately, police pinned Bhuniya down. They later sent him to hospital.
"I have no clue why he behaved thus. The restaurant had even paid him Rs 9,900 on Wednesday," said Rajiv Neogi, who is associated with the restaurant.
While Asha denied that the family was facing financial trouble, Bhuniya's landlord Subrata Dey said he had not paid him rent for several months. "If it is established that he suffers from mental ailment, we shall not press charges," said L N Meena, SP, South 24-Parganas.