A Malda based inmate of the Alipore Central Jail, Budhhu Saha aged 83 and a resident of South Bhatra area under the Malda police station died on Wednesday at the MR Bangur Hospital.
The family members of the deceased have alleged negligence on the part of the Malda Correctional Home for not informing them about the issue on time.
It is learnt that the family members of Saha were not informed about the matter of transferring him to Alipore Jail near to Kolkata city.
The Malda Correctional Home authority on the other hand claimed that the whole thing happened too fast to inform the family.
It is also claimed by the wife of the dead that they do not have enough money to bring back his husband’s body back to Malda for cremation.
According to local sources, Saha had lived with his wife, Usha Saha, in the village as his only daughter, Kanchana, had been married off and almost a year ago. He was accused of committing sexual offence to a minor girl.
Sources also added that the accused failed to find a lawyer in support of him for his acute poverty. According to the wife and daughter of the deceased, on the 16th of this month they had met him and he was in good condition.
They however are curious and perplexed to find out when and why was he sent to Kolkata. Usha Saha said, “I do not know how I can bring my husband’s body back to Malda. I plead to everyone to do something for us.”
The daughter also said that they did not have enough money to arrange for the same and was looking forward to others to help them.
According to Malda Correctional home sources, the man had fallen ill in the morning of the 19th and was removed to Malda Medical College and Hospital from where he was referred to Kolkata the next night but the inmate breathed his last the next morning after reaching MR Bangur Hospital under the observation of Alipore Central Jail.
“The things happened so quickly that we could not inform the family. He died a normal death due to age,” a senior official of the Malda Correctional Home said.