Grandparents say yes, Tangra boy won’t have to live in shelter
Times of India | 27 May 2025
12 Kolkata: The 14-year-old boy from Tangra, whose uncle and father murdered their wives and the boy's cousin in Feb, will now live with his cousin's grandparents.Parents-in-law of Prasun Dey, the younger of the two brothers who confessed to killing the two women and the girl at their Tangra residence before attempting to die by suicide by ramming their car against a metro pillar, have agreed to provide foster care for Prasun's nephew. The boy was also in the car but survived the crash.The decision ends three months of uncertainty over the fate of the teenager, who has been traumatised by the tragedy that unfolded in his home. While his mother, aunt, and cousin died, he survived multiple attempts on his life.Until the septuagenarian couple stepped forward, no member of the extended family was willing to take care of the child, and he was living in a state-run home. The boy's maternal grandparents are dead. Though his maternal uncle and aunt are well-off and live in Mumbai, West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) functionaries, who were trying to find foster care for the boy, were unable to contact them.On Saturday, the father of the boy's aunt, whom the teen called ‘Dadu' or grandpa, called WBCPCR advisor Ananya Chatterjee, saying he wanted to take the child in. The last time Chatterjee had approached the couple — shortly after the incident — they expressed their inability to look after the teenager, citing their age, ill health, and mental state after losing their daughter and granddaughter."When I spoke to them three months ago, they were devastated and struggling to cope with the tragedy that befell them. They were so distraught that they said that despite feeling for the boy, they were not in a position to take his responsibility. They were unsure how long they would live. Both their fondness for the child and their helplessness in the face of the tragedy were apparent, and I did not pursue it further. It was they who got in touch with me on Saturday and requested to care for the boy," Chatterjee said.After he was discharged from hospital, the boy had expressed his desire to live with the grandparents. "This is the best thing that could have happened to him. At least, he will not feel he is unwanted," said Chatterjee.Child psychologists agreed that this will be the best thing that could happen to the teenager. "He needs a stable, supportive, and loving family, and those who are sensitive to his situation. Getting an opportunity to live with grandparents whom he loves and can trust will put him at ease. Also, it will go a long way to dispel the feeling of being abandoned. It will certainly be better than an institutional home," said senior child and adolescent psychiatrist Rima Mukherjee.Chatterjee said WBCPCR will try to get the teenager admitted to a school with a hostel so he can return to the grandparents' house on the weekends.