SILIGURI: A protest rally was taken out by the residents of Pedong in Kalimpong against a gruesome double murder. The case has been handed over to the CID.
After complaints by neighbours, the dead bodies of 69-year-old Phurtemba Sherpa, an ex-serviceman, and his wife 55-year-old Kusum were recovered from the septic tank of their residence. Both the bodies bore deep cut marks on their foreheads.
The incident occurred in Dokyong Sericulture, Sakyong Gram Panchayat of Pedong, around 25 km from Kalimpong town. The elder son Sangden, who is posted at a correctional home in Malda, called up neighbours as his parents were not responding to his calls. The younger son is a teacher in Bihar.
The neighbours had last seen the Sherpa couple on August 16.They found the door of the house locked but sighted Phurtemba's torch and cell phone on the porch. Police were immediately informed.
Upon arriving, the police forced open the door only to find the house completely ransacked. Sniffer dogs were brought in from Siliguri and the bodies were recovered from the septic tank.
A silent procession comprising students, public representatives, political parties and locals took to the streets of Pedong on Monday demanding speedy arrest of the culprits. Shops remained closed. The procession culminated at a police outpost.
"We submitted a memorandum to the Officer-in-Charge of the Pedong police outpost. People are feeling very insecure. This is the 5th such incident in Pedong. We want police to nab the culprits immediately. We will hold such protest demonstrations continuously till they are arrested," stated Binoy Ghising, organizing secretary, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, Kalimpong.
The All Sherpa Association, Darjeeling & Terai Dooars also submitted a memorandum to the District Magistrate, Kalimpong demanding the arrest of the culprits within 48 hours.
The CID and police top brass visited the spot on Sunday. "We have fingerprint and forensic experts investigating the case. We have some clues and are working on them. We hope to crack the case soon," stated Ajey Mukund Ranade, IG, CID.
The funeral of the deceased took place on Sunday.