Murder in hospital - Prisoner killed by murder accused at NBMCH

Siliguri police commissioner (right) with Nikhil Roy, who allegedly killed another
prisoner, at the NBMCH on Tuesday. (Kundan Yolmo)

TT, Siliguri, May 3: A political activist arrested in connection with a railway blockade was killed today allegedly by a murder accused at the prisoner's cell of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital where they were undergoing treatment.

Police couldn't say immediately why Nikhil Roy, a murder accused, had hit Upen Barman, a member of the Greater Cooch Behar People's Association, on the head with an iron stand used to hang saline packets. But they said Nikhil, 50, appeared to be "mentally disturbed".

The murder took place around 11am when an assistant inspector of police and three constables posted on duty were in the room adjacent to the prisoners' cell. Only Nikhil and Upen were in the cell.

"The prisoner's cell has an inner wooden door and an iron gate outside. We had locked the outer gate and were in the adjacent room where police personnel stay. The wall between our room and the cell has a grilled window. Around 11am, we heard a loud shout from the cell and saw through the grilled window Upen lying unconscious in a pool of blood," said one of the policemen deployed at the NBMCH.

Although the outer gate was unlocked, the wooden door had been latched from inside. The reinforcements arrived and it took them around 15 minutes to break the door and enter the cell.

"Upen was attacked by Nikhil on the head with a saline stand and the latter had blocked the door with two beds pushed against it. He had then locked himself inside the washroom. Police personnel entered the washroom through an opening above the door and brought Nikhil out. Upen was already dead," he added.

Upen, 72, a resident of Cooch Behar, had been admitted to the NBMCH on April 8 with a fracture in the right forearm. He had sustained the injury during a police lathicharge at a rail blockade organised by the Greater Cooch Behar People's Association in February. Upen had been arrested then.

Nikhil was arrested on murder charges from Dhupguri around two months ago. He was lodged at the NBMCH cell as the left leg was fractured at the time of the murder.

Siliguri police commissioner Manoj Verma arrived at the NBMCH around 11.30am and was in the cell for around 45 minutes. "We have started a probe," Verma said.

The police are yet to find out if there was a rivalry between Nikhil and Upen. But they said Nikhil appeared "mentally disturbed". Investigations are also being carried out to know if there was any dereliction of duty on the part of the four police men.

The police will approach court tomorrow with a plea that Nikhil be remanded in their custody. Now, he is under judicial custody.