‘Deceased SUCI leader’s wife missing’

On Wednesday, Chatterjee was found hanging from the ceiling of a hotel room in Puri. The Orissa police feel it is a case of suicide.

Chatterjee's nephew Debashish Bhattacharya, a lawyer, told The Indian Express that he had not been able to contact his aunt Bulbul Aich since Wednesday, when the family came to know through media reports that the SUCI leader was missing.

"I don't know what is going on. Whenever I call on her mobile, it gets disconnected. She is not at home either, which has been visited by police, family members and well-wishers several times over the past three days. My aunt is also an active party member," Bhattacharya said.

Another relative, confirmed on condition of anonymity, that Aich has indeed been missing. No complaint with the police, has however, been filed yet.

Many in Chatterjee's family are actively involved in the SUCI, said Bhattacharya. But no one has been able to help. And the news of Chatterjee's death has made him apprehensive about Aich. "I approached all of them since Wednesday, but was told that he had left town on some important party work. Since it is normal, I was not suspicious. Now, we have come to know he's no more," he added.

Bhattacharya says the party members aren't helping him either. The SUCI leadership, whom Chatterjee had lambasted for forging an alliance with the Trinamool Congress in a letter sent prior to his disappearance, has expelled him for "anti-party" activities. The party has also made it clear that Chatterjee's body will not be brought to the party office on Lenin Sarani.

South 24-Parganas SP Parveen Kumar said: "No arrest has been made. We have questioned some people in connection to Chatterjee's death, but at this point I would not like to disclose their identities."

Orissa police had been waiting on Friday for the Behala police team to reach Puri and officially identify the body.