To Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, South Block, New Delhi – 110001. 3 April, 2008 Respected Sir, Subject: Appeal for justice in the murder of Prof.Papiya Ghosh of Patna University and Malti Devi. On the night of 2 December, 2006 my younger sister, Professor Papiya Ghosh, was murdered with indescribable brutality inside her own house in Patliputra Colony, Patna. Neither was her aged, invalid maid, Malti Devi spared. Prof. Ghosh’s house was also looted of all items of value, big and small, with the criminals even managing to drive away in the victim’s own car. As per the police statement, quoted in the press, six armed dacoits had entered Prof. Ghosh’s house and executed the heinous crimes with impunity. The killing of Prof. Ghosh was carried out with a degree of savage brutality unparalleled in the crime history of Bihar. The worst type of atrocities against women and fatal violation of human rights were perpetrated. Prof. Papiya Ghosh was a scrupulously honest citizen who lived on her own, and had dedicated her life to the cause of higher education in Bihar. I would request you to kindly visit the website www.papiyaghosh.com for more details about her works and life. As a law abiding citizen, Prof. Ghosh depended on the state to provide the necessary security of life and property to all its citizens. But things turned out to be otherwise. Incidentally the victim’s house was a mere stone’s throw from the Pataliputra police thana. Subsequent to the horrific killings, four of the murderous gang have been rounded up, and put on trial. But the case, although committed to a Fast Track court, is moving at snail’s pace. But shockingly two of the culprits in the reprehensible crimes, named by the police, as quoted in the press, as Mustakeen and Sanjogi Rai, still remain out of the reach of the police even more than a year later, in spite of numerous representations having been made to the Chief Minister of Bihar, for their speedy arrest. Neither have petitions to the Chairman, National Human Rights Commission, and the Chairperson, National Commission for Women, as well as other human rights organizations to get justice, met with any response. Even applications for information regarding the absconding criminals, made under the Right To Information Act, have not been answered. On behalf of the grieving family, I request you to prevail on the Government of Bihar to conduct a full and thorough investigation into these reprehensible crimes and to speedily arrest and put on trial the two absconding criminals. The pronouncements made by our Government about the importance of protecting women’s rights and providing redress when they have been violated, need to be followed up with necessary action when such violations have unfortunately taken place. Otherwise they will remain as nothing more than pious intentions and we womenfolk will have to continue to endure these worst kinds of abuses of human rights in our society. We await your kind intervention in the matter. Yours Faithfully, (Mrs. Keya Sen) 214, WTC Hilton Residency, 1191, Corniche El Nile, Cairo, EGYPT e-mail: keya_sen04@hotmail.com
Papiya GhoshA Historian, A Professor and Chirag of Family