Wife aid for poll death

An official hands over the cheque to Arpita at her home in Raiganj on Tuesday. Picture by Kousik Sen

KOUSIK SEN, TT, May 23, 2018, Raiganj: The wife of Raj Kumar Roy, the schoolteacher who died while on panchayat poll duty last week, was on Tuesday given Rs 5 lakh by the state government.

Arpita Burman Roy received the cheque from Subhendu Roy, a deputy magistrate in North Dinajpur district, at her residence in Sudarshanpur here. She said she had sought a government job and appealed for the release of two schoolteachers arrested over the attack on the local SDO during a protest over the death of her husband.

"The chief minister had spoken to me over phone. I had requested her for a job and on Tuesday, as officials visited my place, I reiterated it. I have also urged them to see the two schoolteachers who had participated in a movement over my husband's death are released," said Arpita, who has a daughter.

Raj Kumar was a teacher at a madrasa in Karandighi block of North Dinajpur. He was assigned the duty of presiding officer at a booth in Itahar block and went missing during the polls on May 14 from the booth.

On the night of May 15, his mutilated body was found railway tracks on the outskirts of Raiganj town.

The incident led to protests as a section of government employees, mostly schoolteachers, alleged that he has been murdered and dumped near the rail track. They also raised road blockades and went on demanding a proper probe of Roy's death.

While such a protest and road blockade was going on at Ghori More, a prominent junction in Raiganj town on May 16, T.N. Sherpa, the SDO, reached the spot to speak to the agitators.

A section of the agitators however, got excited and attacked the SDO. The official was shoved and thrashed, a slipper was tossed at him and even water was poured on him. This made Sherpa file a complaint at Raiganj police station, based on which police started investigation and on last Saturday night, arrested two schoolteachers. Searches for some other accused are on, the police had said.The district police have handed over the investigation into Roy's death to the CID.