No money for cremation, doctor lives with sister’s body for 2 days

HOWRAH: In a case not quite as gory as the Robinson Street one, but a somewhat similar rerun, a retired professor of

Nilratan Sircar Medical College

and Hospital was found living with his sister’s body at their

Uluberia

home 48 hours after her death, because he didn’t have the money to cremate her.

Neighbours and members of a club next to the Moyrapara house on Wednesday alerted police about the stench of rotting flesh from the residence of Dr

Nilmani Dhara

, 81. Cops reached the two-storey house and found the body of Dhara’s sister

Karabi

, 61, who died at Uluberia State General Hospital around 9.45pm on December 24.

“She was admitted to our hospital on December 22 in an unconscious state and was found to be suffering from severe malnutrition-driven anaemia, fever and respiratory distress,” said hospital superintendent

Sudip Karar

.

“We asked Dhara to take the body away in an ambulance or hearse. He said he did not have the money to hire a vehicle and left. After waiting for over 24 hours, we took the body to their residence on Tuesday morning,” he added.

When the body reached the house, Dhara reportedly told the ambulance staff to bring a cake for his sister, which they did. Police found remnants of a piece of cake around Karabi’s mouth when recovering the body.

Dhara retired from the state medical education service in 1996, but had been denied retirement benefits and pension over a case he had filed during his tenure. This left the family in deep financial distress. Police, in fact, found several bottles of water and some cops suggested that the siblings seemed to be surviving on water. Dhara had rented the house where he lived with his sisters Karabi and Purabi, 65, who once taught in a private school. While Dhara, Karabi and Purabi were single, a third sister, Surabi, is married and lives in Salt Lake.

When police reached the house, Dhara displayed signs of mental illness and argued with the cops. He reportedly told them, “Let my sister remain with me. She is lying down now. I am treating her. I will give her a cake on January 1.”

Uluberia IC Subhrojit Majumdar said, “He resisted our team which went to recover the body. He was mentally unstable and agreed to let them take the body after an assurance that his sister would be returned to him. We brought the body to Satamukhi burning ghat in Uluberia and allowed Dhara and his other sister Purabi to attend the cremation.”

Howrah rural SP Gourab Sharma said, “We will speak to Dhara and his sister in Salt Lake. We may seek the court’s permission for their treatment. If necessary, police will have food supplied to them till we get the court’s order.”

Surabi, who is the oldest among the sisters, told police that her elder brother was a brilliant doctor. He was a professor of anatomy at Bankura Sammelani Medical College, from where he was transferred to NRS medical college. He had problems with the health department for not getting a promotion and filed a case. But he retired within a year or two afterwards and as the case was still on, he was denied retirement benefits and pension. He continued fighting the legal battle from his savings.

“He became depressed just years before retirement and complained that he was a victim of injustice. Soon, he started losing memory. They were also in financial distress and my younger sister Purabi had even begged on streets,” Surabi said.

Amal Dutta, a local resident, said, “We saw the body arrive on Tuesday. But we did not realise that Dhara had not cremated his sister. On getting the stench this morning, I informed the local club and cops.”


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