BALURGHAT: Balurghat was rocked by widespread tension and public outrage following the unnatural death of well-known elocutionist and lawyer Sanjay Karmakar (47). The incident has sparked serious allegations of abetment to suicide against his wife, sister-in-law and other members of his in-laws’ family.
Sanjay Karmakar’s body was found hanging at his residence in the Sanket Club area of Balurghat on Monday evening. Soon after the news spread, angry neighbours and locals gathered outside his house, staging protests and allegedly attempting vandalism. The situation turned volatile, prompting the intervention of a large police force. Police managed to bring the situation under control.
Later in the night, Sanjay’s uncle, Paritosh Karmakar, lodged a written complaint at Balurghat Police Station, accusing the artist’s wife, sister-in-law and others of mentally and physically harassing him and driving him to suicide. Acting on the complaint, police arrested Sanjay’s wife Sushmita Sarkar and sister-in-law Tanushree Sarkar. They were produced before the Balurghat district court on Tuesday, where no lawyer reportedly agreed to represent them. The Chief Judicial Magistrate Rajib Singha had sent them to jail custody for 14 days. The court remanded both to judicial custody till February 3.
As a mark of respect, the Balurghat district court observed a pen-down protest on Wednesday. Sanjay Karmakar was a familiar face in the district, frequently anchoring government and private programmes. Married for nearly 20 years, he is survived by his wife, a schoolteacher, and a daughter. Family sources claimed that severe domestic discord had been continuing for nearly a year, forcing Sanjay to leave his home and live alone in a rented house. They further alleged that he was repeatedly provoked, humiliated and mentally tortured by his in-laws and was even assaulted days before his death. “All the accused together pushed my nephew towards suicide. We want strict punishment,” said Paritosh Karmakar.
Superintendent of Police Chinmay Mittal confirmed the arrests and said a detailed investigation into the incident is underway.