Bengal Class 11 student’s face burnt before death, autopsy reveals

An 18-year-old woman was found dead on a roadside with a burnt face last week in West Bengal’s Nadia district. A postmortem revealed that her face was burnt before she died, sources said. However, the police have not confirmed whether it was a suicide or murder.
The semi-naked body of the woman, a Class 11 student, was found on a roadside in Krishnanagar on October 13. The forensic team identified a kerosene-like substance on the victim’s face, along with a bottle of kerosene and a matchbox near her body.
Senior police officials aware of the postmortem details said her burn injuries occurred before death (antemortem). The autopsy report also revealed that there were no other injury marks on her body. The police have also ruled out sexual assault, rape or gang rape.
The police are still exploring the case and suspect it could be suicide, though the investigation is in the preliminary stage.
“The postmortem report shows that the death was due to antemortem burn injuries, with no external injuries found on the body and no signs of sexual assault,” K Amarnath, Krishnanagar Superintendent of Police, told India Today after receiving the postmortem report.
Forensic experts have also collected fingerprint traces from the kerosene bottle and matchbox, and the process to match them with the victim is underway. According to police sources, fire marks were also found on a curtain of a Durga Puja pandal near the spot where the victim’s body was discovered.
Meanwhile, the West Bengal Police arrested the woman’s boyfriend, Rahul Bose. Officials said they are investigating whether he has any connection to the woman, who had been missing for hours before her death. According to sources, Bose has denied involvement in the incident.
Analysing the boyfriend’s tower location, the police found that he was present in a nearby field for a long time during the incident. An eyewitness corroborated the police’s version, saying he was seen sitting in the field with a friend on the night of the woman’s death.
According to police sources, the distance from the field to where the woman’s body was recovered is approximately 100 metres. The police are also probing the details of Rahul’s meeting with the woman around that time.
Around 10.30 pm on October 13, the woman wrote in her Facebook story, “No one is responsible for my death; I am responsible.” After seeing the Facebook post, one of their mutual friends called Bose after 11 pm and asked him to look into the matter and talk to the woman immediately.
Bose then called the woman several times, but the phone rang without anyone picking up, he claimed during police interrogation, sources said.
The autopsy report indicated that the woman died between 11 pm and 3 am. Hence, the police are investigating whether she had any altercation with Bose before her death.
However, the victim’s family continues to accuse Bose of gang rape and murder.