SILIGURI,: In a shocking incident, a father murdered his son and buried him
behind their home in Lower Dudhey under Kurseong block of Gorkhaland
Territorial Administration (GTA).
Gopal Rai allegedly
committed the crime due to frustration over his son’s mobile gaming addiction.
The
incident came to light when Gopal confessed to his wife about killing their
24-year-old son, Rohan Rai, also known as Kaley. According to the father’s
confession, the incident occurred early in the morning at around 4 am. Gopal allegedly dragged Rohan out of the
house and attacked him with an axe, striking his right eye, shoulder and head.
He then buried the body in a three-foot-deep pit behind their residence,
covering it with boulders, mud and grass.
A team
from Garidhura police station along with civic officials exhumed the body in
the presence of a magistrate from Kurseong Court. The remains were sent to
North Bengal Medical College and Hospital for an autopsy.
Gopal Rai
has since been arrested.
Tej
Bahadur Rai, Gopal’s younger brother, said that Rohan had been mentally
unstable and was addicted to playing games on his mobile phone. “Rohan would
often demand a monthly recharge for his phone, and if it was not done, he would
torture his parents. This behavior had taken a toll on Gopal,” he said.
Maniraj
Dumjan, Gram Panchayat Pradhan of St. Mary’s III under Kurseong block,
expressed regret over the incident. “It is unfortunate and shameful for our
area. Gopal should have reached out for help instead of taking the law into his
own hands,” he said.
According
to local residents, there was a tussle every month for mobile recharge and
sometimes Rohan used to hit his father and once his shoulder was badly injured
during the fight. Gopal, a daily wage labourer, was frustrated with son’s habit
but did not share with anyone.
