Siliguri: Woman attempts suicide in police custody

Siliguri: A female inmate tried to commit suicide while in police custody at Phansidewa Police Station on Sunday afternoon. She has been identified as Chirata Debnath alias Suchitra and is currently undergoing treatment at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) in a critical condition.

Abhishek Roy, Additional Superintendent of Darjeeling Police, said: “The woman tried to commit suicide inside the police station. Presently, she is out of danger.”

On July 11, Mampi Debnath Mitra, a woman civic volunteer posted at the Phansidewa Police Station, was rescued with burn injuries from the Bhaktinagar area in Phansidewa on Thursday night. Chirata Debnath, Mampi’s relative, was arrested for allegedly setting fire.

Mitra lives with her child while her husband works outside town. Chirata allegedly assaulted Mampi who is pregnant, following an altercation and set her on fire. She allegedly looted gold jewellery and cash from the house.

After the incident, Mampi’s family members filed a written complaint based on which Chirata was arrested by the Phansidewa Police. When the accused was produced in court, she was remanded to police custody for seven days. According to police sources, after questioning the accused, police recovered the stolen gold jewellery worth about Rs 7 lakh from Chirata’s house on Saturday.

On Sunday afternoon, she tried to commit suicide by hanging inside the police station. Seeing the incident, the police personnel rushed her to NBMCH.