West Bengal: A woman identified as a cousin of Mira Bhattacharya, wife of former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, has been found living on the streets in Kolkata’s Dunlop neighborhood. Ira Basu, identified as the woman who lives on a footpath, has been there for two years without knowing why. According to preliminary medical tests, the woman is not mentally sound and needs medical attention. In the past, she lived in Baranagar, but later moved to Lichu Bagan in Khardah, North 24 Parganas. Local residents gave her food, but she left the place and has been living on the streets since.
Khardah municipality officials received information about a woman living on the streets who is a cousin of Mira Bhattacharya. Sushanta Mondal, executive officer of Khardah municipality, said, ‘Last night, we received information about Ira Basu and rescued her around 10 p.m. As a result, we had her admitted to Lumbini Park Mental Hospital since she is not mentally sound’.
‘I am coordinating with hospital staff regarding her health, and we are hopeful that she will recover soon,’ he said. Her retirement date was June 28, 2009, after more than 40 years of teaching biology at Priyanath Girls High School, Khardah. Ira was then staying at the house of Nalini Deb, who was the headmistress of the school in 1976, they noted.
In addition, officials said they had no information about her marital status or if she had a Ph.D. in virology. According to them, she failed to submit her academic degrees to the state education department despite repeated reminders, which prevented her from receiving her pension. Ira told local residents she was a state-level athlete and played table tennis and cricket, but no proof of her claims has been provided.
Priyanath High School headmistress Krishnakali Chanda recalls how her former teacher, Ira Basu, retired in 2009. She hasn’t submitted any of the educational documents she needs to get the pension, so the process has been put on hold until she submits the documents. In spite of her claim that she is a Ph.D. in virology, she failed to produce any documentation. Furthermore, she failed to provide any other certificate or document required to initiate the process of her pension. She is unfortunate to be living on the streets.
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Tamas Roy, deputy chief whip of the Trinamool Congress in the assembly and Baranagar MLA, said, ‘I have heard about the matter and I am looking into it. We will do whatever is necessary to help the lady. Buddhadeb Bhattacharya’s cousin Malavika Chatterjee told News18 that she knew about the problem (with Ira Basu), but she was not Mira’s sister. Possibly, she (Ira) is her (Mira) cousin. I pray for her healthy life’.
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