KOLKATA: A 53-year-old trader and his daughter, who suffered from autism, were found hanging together, facing each other, from the same nylon rope tied to the iron hook of the ceiling fan of a flat in Behala‘s Shakuntala Park on Friday night.
Cops suspect that the man, Sajan Das, tied the rope around his daughter Srija Das alias Mouli (23) before hanging himself. No suicide note has been found.
Das, who used to sell and repair water purifiers and chimneys, had rented the ground floor flat at 12 Foota Road three years ago to run his business.
Read related story: ‘Copycat suicide’ angle in Behala deaths: Trader discussed Tangra case before hanging self with autistic daughter
Das, a resident of Budge Budge, was staying with his in-laws at Rameswarpur in Maheshtala and is survived by his wife, Jolly Ghosh Das (49), and his nine-year-old son.
According to Parnasree cops and Achintya Ghosh, a relative, the trader was upset after the doctors treating Srija could not give him much hope.
Police are probing if Das murdered Srija before hanging himself. “Das took his daughter to SSKM regularly. He also took her to Chennai, Vellore and Delhi. On multiple occasions in the past three years, he said he was left with no other option but to end his life with his daughter,” said Ghosh.
“Post-mortem has revealed that there was no external or internal injury on the bodies of the deceased persons except non-continuous ligature marks. Deaths were due to the effect of hanging. The manner of deaths are thus suicidal,” said joint CP (crime & traffic) Rupesh Kumar.
Cops said they were probing the case further but have not found any financial or personal issues to have cropped up in Das’s life. The cops, though, said the escalating costs of Srija’s treatment were always a concern for him. Das had also dabbled in water tanks and aquariums. A neighbour, Anita Chatterjee, even spoke to them as the duo got off their bike and entered the flat on Friday.
“I asked him why he brought his daughter on a day he asked his other employees not to report to the office. He said he wanted to keep her close to him,” said Chatterjee.
“It was around 8.10 pm on Friday that we got information from one Partha Das, a relative, about the twin hangings,” said Rahul Dey, DC (SWD-Behala).
Srija suffered from this disease since her birth. “Statements from Jolly have so far revealed that on Feb 28, Das left home with Srija, telling his wife that he was taking her to a doctor at SSKM. He also told her of a medical board being formed for Srija. “Neither is there a doctor by that name at SSKM nor was any medical board formed,” said an officer.
Around 1.15 pm, Das informed his wife that they reached SSKM. After a few hours, Jolly called Das but no one received it. “Jolly then called up an acquaintance at Parnasree PS, who then informed one Ranjit Kumar Singh to check the office of the deceased. Singh came and found that all the doors were closed but not locked from inside. Opening the door, Singh peeped in and found both the father and the daughter hanging,” said Ghosh.
Dilip Kumar Mitra, a retired KMC officer and owner of the building where the incident took place, said, “He was pretty regular with rents. He watched a lot of cricket. I was watching the Australia-Afghanistan match on Friday when one of his employees came and told me about the unfortunate incident,” said Mitra.
‘Copycat suicide’
The suicide of a father and his autistic daughter in Behala’s Shakuntala Park may be a case of ‘copycat suicide.’ The incident occurred nearly two weeks after the Tangra case, where a family suicide pact left three dead and three survivors.
Fifty-three-year-old Sajan Das was reportedly struggling with depression and had participated in a conversation with friends about the Tangra Dey family tragedy.
This discussion took place over tea at Rameswarpur near Banerjeehat in Maheshtala.
Psychologists explain that ‘copycat suicide,’ also known as the Werther effect, happens when extensive media coverage of a suicide influences others to take similar actions.
For individuals already in distress or experiencing suicidal tendencies, exposure to such cases can act as a triggering factor.
