Chandannagar: Police concluded that Sutandra Chattopadhyay, the event manager, died in a car chase and there was no evidence connecting it to eve-teasing. However, her mother, Tanushree Chattopadhyay refused to subscribe to the cop's version.
"If there was no eve teasing, why was my daughter's car being hit by another vehicle? Her vehicle was being chased to abduct her. Why the passengers of the other vehicle involved in the accident are not yet arrested," she said, adding, "We don't want the welfare schemes like Rupashree and Lakshmir Bhandar, but women's safety."
Vicenarian Chttopdahyay, a Chandannagar resident, died after the car she was travelling in overturned near the Rice Mill Crossing of Panagarh in Paschim Bardhaman on Sunday night. However, the reason for the mishap remains shrouded in mystery.
In a press conference on Monday evening, commissioner of Asansol-Dugarpur Commissionerate Sunikumar Choudhary said, "Two cars including a white Creta were involved in racing. But there was no complaint of eve-teasing. Police have scanned the CCTV footage of the area where it was seen that the deceased's vehicle hit the divider and started chasing the Creta afterwards."
"The other vehicle then overtook the victim's car and proceeded toward Panagarh Rice Mill, where its occupants reside. The victim's car continued chasing them, and while taking a turn, it overturned," Choudhary added.
One of the victim's colleagues, Mintu Mondal, initially alleged that after refuelling at a petrol pump, a group of drunken youths in the white vehicle followed their car, making lewd remarks and bumping into their car multiple times. This, according to Mondal, forced them to speed up, eventually leading to the accident. He further claimed that the white vehicle fled the scene after the crash.
The police said their investigation, backed by CCTV footage, contradicted these allegations. Choudhary said CCTV footage showed the victim's car trying to overtake the white vehicle and then following it. At one point, the white vehicle entered an alley, and while attempting to follow it, Chattopadhyay's car lost control, causing the vehicle to turn turtle.
"We have questioned the driver and the complainant and after going by their statements, we could say that there was no incident of eve-teasing," Choudhary said, adding that no one was arrested in connection with the incident.
A three-member representative team of the State Women's Commission met the bereaved family on Tuesday. Chandannagar mayor Ram Chakraborty also visited the family and assured them all help.
"It's an unfortunate incident. Chanadannagore is known for its education and culture. Sutandra was a cultural activist and she was known for her dance performance beyond the borders of Bengal. Her demise is unacceptable as her father passed away recently. The family is devastated by back-to-back deaths. There are various statements on the cause of the mishap and a complaint has been lodged with the police. We want a fair probe to reveal the truth," he said.
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