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JUSTICE TO PAPIYA:
RESEARCHERS LAUNCH E-MAIL CAMPAIGN
JP YADAV,
15 DECEMBER 2006, INDIAN EXPRESS, NEW DELHI.
 

Researchers across the globe, associated with South-Asian studies, have launched an e-mail campaign over the murder of Papiya Ghosh — Professor of History at Patna University.

While expressing anguish over her brutal murder, academicians and friends of Ghosh, spread across many countries are trying to put pressure on the Nitish Kumar Government to book the culprits. It’s nearing two weeks now since the murder took place and the Police remain clueless with not a single arrest.

Shankar Dutta, Professor of English at Patna University, said that Ghosh was an active member of a broad group of academicians associated with South-Asian Studies and all of them want justice. He felt that Ghosh’s murder has undermined the confidence of the global community in Bihar. Purnendu Mukherjee, coordinator of the All India Bengali Association also confirmed the e-mail campaign and said letters to the PM and the President were also being sent.

This murder case has extended the severest jolt to all the brand building efforts for a resurgent Bihar, being undertaken by the Nitish Government. Even the PM had called Nitish expressing concern over the murder. The jolt comes particularly because the Police have failed so far to achieve any breakthrough in the case. It has not even been able to recover the Ghosh’s car and other valuables stolen after the murder.

Though the Police claim to be investigating the case, it is primarily treating the case as a murder for robbery.
 

PAPIYA FOUR SNAPPED UP
HT CORRESPONDENT
16 DECEMBER 2006, PATNA.
 

“As of now, robbery alone seems to be the motive behind the murder of Patna University Historian Papiya Ghosh,” Director-General of Police A.R. Sinha said.

The four arrested were Shankar Sau, 22, a part-time driver with a Don Bosco school teacher; A.K. Roy, 19, a jobless youth from Chhapra who worked in a rolling mill here before taking to petty thefts; A.K. Urao, 19, a newspaper hawker; and Manohar Kumar Thakur, who recently quit working at a rolling mill. None has a murder charge against him.

Most of the loot, including a Maruti car found in a dilapidated garage, a TV set and a computer, has been recovered from different places in Patna. None of it had been sold.

DGP Sinha said the main gate of the Historian’s house was “ajar” when the gang “sneaked in” around 9 pm. They probably knew her daily routine well to strike at that hour. The main conspirator, who “would have provided information” about Ghosh’s routine, is still at large.

The DGP, who announced a Rs.50,000 reward to the Police team, asked the media to “stop” thinking of “various angles” and trust the Police.

But Ghosh’s friends are not “convinced”. Prof. S.K. Singh, also a resident of Pataliputra Colony, said “the small gang must have been used just as a pawn by powerful people”.

Maya Shankar, a friend, said: “It is difficult to digest that Papiya was killed just for resisting a robbery.”

Saibal Dasgupta, a sociologist, said with property rates as high as they are in Pataliputra Colony, the robbery motive was “just too simplistic.”

SUCCESS BRINGS RELIEF, DOUBTS REMAIN
SUCCESS BRINGS RELIEF, DOUBTS REMAIN
16 DECEMBER 2006, HINDUSTAN TIMES CORRESPONDENT, PATNA.
 

The arrest of the criminals involved in the killing of Patna University (PU) Professor Papiya Ghosh, and her elderly maid, and the recovery of articles that were looted by the killers, has brought a sigh of relief to the teaching fraternity of Patna University (PU) and Magadh University. The Teachers are all praise for the role of the Patna Police in nabbing a number of those involved in the murder but also want the Police to take the case to its logical conclusion.

Dr U K Sinha, Patna University Teachers' Association (PUTA) President- thanked the Chancellor and the Chief Minister for mobilizing the Police and Administration in this regard. PUTA General Secretary, Dr. Randhir Kumar Singh, however, urged the Police to take the case to its logical conclusion. He also urged the University Administration to institute a Chair named after Papiya, in tribute to her brilliance as a historian.

President of the Magadh University Teachers’ Association (MUTA) Dr Avnindra Kumar Singh Thakur, said that the arrest of a number of those involved in the double murders and recovery of the looted property belonging of Papiya should not be taken to be the end of the matter. The police should unravel the conspiracy behind Papiya’s murder and find out who plotted the gruesome killing. MUTA General Secretary Dr Vibhuti Kumar added that the State Government must ensure safety of life and property to Teachers, as every such incident weakened the morale of the teaching fraternity.

Dr Nihar Nandan Prasad Singh, Head of Patna University’s History Department and former Vice Chancellor of Bihar University, was not satisfied with the latest development in the investigation of Prof Papiya Ghosh and her elderly maid. He said the police had not yet, unveiled the conspiracy behind the murders. He, however, said the Departmental Council had resolved to rename the History Seminar Hall after Papiya. A few days back, the Patna Police had taken into its possession the books and magazines that lay in Papiya’s cupboard at the History Department, he said.

Dr Daisy Narain, another senior Teacher of Patna University did not see the arrest of some suspects as a major breakthrough. She said it was too early to say anything with finality. The Police should trace the mastermind behind the murders besides booking the persons who actually executed the heinous crime, she said.

Dr Dilip Kumar Sinha, President, Bihar Bengalee Association, said, “The Police claim that Papiya was killed by burglars while committing theft in her house does not sound convincing at all. No sensible person can accept this theory. There are lots of contradictions. Like, why for all reasons did the burglars take another vehicle to her house to commit the crime and also took away the victims car? If the Police claims are true, I feel we should be proud that burglars in the state have really improved. I also wonder, why the Police took so much time to catch simple burglars.

Obviously, we will continue our agitation for the real truth to come out. We will also have to wait for the arrested persons to reveal more facts. But, I feel all educated persons in the State share a feeling that Papiya’s murder was not for all such simple reasons."

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