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.