Pradyot Dhar Chowdhury, former president of Bharat Ratna Sangha in Usha Bazaar area of Agartala and an accused in the murder case of Durga Prasanna Deb alias Vicky, died under mysterious circumstances shortly after being brought to GBP Hospital from Bishalgarh Central Correctional Home on Friday.
According to police sources, Pradyot had been in jail for the past two years. Following news of his hospitalisation, his brother Kalpajit Rakshit and other family members rushed to the hospital.
Kalpajit alleged that the jail authorities had not informed the family about Pradyot’s illness. He further claimed that after being brought to the hospital, Pradyot had to remain without medical treatment for nearly two hours.
According to the family, admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) required the relatives’ signatures. However, they alleged that the jail authorities had taken no initiative to arrange his admission to the ICU while he was in custody.
The family members further claimed that when they reached the hospital after receiving information, they found Pradyot dead.
Pradyot’s lawyers, Ratan Dutta and Arun Tilak Paul, said that he had been in judicial custody for the past two years and that applications seeking his bail had been filed before both the Supreme Court and the High Court.
Lawyer Arun Tilak Paul demanded a fair and thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Pradyot’s death in custody. The allegations made by the family regarding the treatment provided at the hospital and the conduct of the jail authorities have not been independently verified.