Cops probe Badal Sircar death case

KOLKATA: A complaint has been lodged at Burtolla police station, alleging foul play over the death of dramatist Badal Sircar. Sircar passed away at his north Kolkata home on May 13.
Soma Das, the playwright's nurse for over a decade, alleged in the complaint that Sircar was drugged to death by a member of his family.
Born as Sudhindra Sircar in 1925, he later became popular as Badal Sircar.He was a civil engineer who was drawn to Left politics and took up theatre as his medium of protest. Sircar's body was donated to NRS Medical College and Hospital. The director of Ebong Indrajit had wanted his body to be utilized for medical science.
In her complaint to police, Das alleged that Sircar was killed by an overdose of tranquilizers though doctors hadn't prescribed any of them. "I saw that he was given an overdose of sleeping pills," she said.
Police officers are investigating the complaint lodged by Soma. Senior officials in charge of the case said that, if needed, Sircar's body can be examined by autopsy surgeons. "Even if it has been dissected, the liver and other organs could be examined to check whether he died due to tranquilizer overdose," said forensic expert Ajoy Gupta.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is learnt to have taken the case seriously after hearing about the complaint.
However, police are also probing if any property dispute exists in the family. Members of Sircar's family will be questioned in this regard.
When contacted, the playwright's son Abhijit Sircar rubbished the allegation lodged by Soma. "She used to take care of our father. After his death, we do not need her in our house. So we wanted to get rid of her and asked her to leave our home. But she is unwilling to leave. So she is making such baseless allegations," Abhijit said.