It took 7 years for Law to locate crime in the death of novelist Prativa Ray’s daughter-in-law

Sharmistha, eldest daughter-in-law of noted Oriya novelist Prativa Ray, had died on 23 March 2007 at Hyderabad allegedly by jumping down from fifth floor of Dwarakamai apartment. Her maternal uncle Dr. Arabinda Mohanty had alleged that the death was neither accidental not suicidal. It was a coldblooded murder, he had alleged.

Ray had threatened Mohanty with defamation for wild speculation.

The Women Commission of Orissa had initiated an enquiry with the help of its Andhra counterpart. But that somewhat fizzed out.

As initial police suspicion that psychiatric disorder might have propelled her fall to death failed to click, the Andra Pradesh Crime Branch had taken up the case after about seven months of the unnatural death of Sharmistha, who was by then in the seventh month of her pregnancy.

However, on the seventh year of the pathetic death of the brilliant software professional who had topped the B.E. bests from Birla College of Engineering and Technology, Pilani, her husband has been arrested on March 21 by the Andhra Crime Branch at Banglore whereto he had shifted from Hyderabad after a second marriage.