A month on, trauma not over for Dhantala victims

Ruma was on one of the buses which were attacked by goons allegedly led by some CPI (M) leaders. ‘‘I curse my fate that I went to attend the reception,’’ she adds.

Concurs another victim: ‘‘Our modesty was outraged and we were robbed of our valuables. But political parties seem more keen on reaping a political harvest.”

Meanwhile, police are still clueless about the mysterious death of Chandan Sen, a surgeon at Ranaghat hospital in the same district where some of the Dhantala victims as well as accused were examined.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has written to Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya saying that Sen was murdered because his report corroborated the victims’ claims that they were raped. ‘‘Sen also stood up against a racket at the hospital controlled by CPI(M),’’ alleges secretary IMA, Kolkata, Sudiopto Roy.

But hospital authorities say Sen was never involved in the examination of the rape victims. Hospital superintendent Alok Prasad Mandal says: ‘‘It was our gynaechologist Dola Sengupta who examined the patients.’’ ‘‘A surgeon does not examine rape victims. It’s a gynaechologist who does it,’’ seconds another doctor at the hospital, Gorachand Shau.

The family of Sunil Ganguly — in whose house Sen had died — said the doctor was in an inebriated state when the incident occurred. ‘‘He had drunk almost a full bottle of whiskey before dinner,’’ Sunil’s son Gautam says. ‘‘His body was found in the pond in front of our house.’’

‘‘The whole case is a big mystery,’’ Ranaghat SDPO Arnab Ghosh says. ‘‘We are awaiting the post-mortem report,’’ he says.