GUWAHATI, Aug 22 - Prominent forensic artist Debasish Bhattacharjee�s case-defining sketches have helped Assam Police identify and nab culprits involved in several high-profile and sensitive cases, including the October 30, 2008 serial blasts, the sensational Gadapani Pathak murder and the recent twin rape-and-murder cases on two different trains in upper Assam.
Ironically, Bhattacharjee, who has been investigation agencies� �go-to man� for the last over one decade, does not want to work with the Assam Police anymore!
Bhattacharjee is miffed at the fact that the Assam Police had undermined his security concerns.
Talking to The Assam Tribune over phone from West Bengal, Bhattacharjee, who has been assisting the Assam Police since 2006 as a forensic sketch artist, expressed his grouse, categorically stating that he has not received the respect he deserved from the Assam Police.
�I had asked the top officers of the Assam Police time and again to ensure hidden security cover for me and my family by taking up the matter with its counterpart in West Bengal, but to no avail. The fact that I had helped security forces, especially Assam Police, in identifying many high-profile criminals and even members from the insurgent groups, has in a way put my life along with lives of members of my family, in danger,� Bhattacharjee rued.
Bhattacharjee, who is based at Howrah in West Bengal, was first hired by Army Intelligence in 2006 when militants triggered a blast at the auto stand near the Guwahati Railway Station.
Since then, Bhattacharjee�s services have been hired for solving many high-profile cases in Assam, including the case related to abduction of superintending engineer of the agriculture department Gadapani Pathak in 2012 and more recently the murder of student leader Lafiqul Islam (Kokrajhar) and the sensational rape and murder cases on two trains in Sivasagar and Jorhat.
Bhattacharjee said that he had stopped working in West Bengal because it involves greater risk for himself and his family.
�I even went to meet Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal recently on this, but was not allowed to. This hurts my self-esteem, especially after having contributed so much to the cause,� he said.
�I was roped in for many cases since 2006 and during the course I have enjoyed a good rapport with police officials of all ranks. But my security concerns were never paid heed to,� he lamented.
�Nor did they think of recommending my name for any award or recognition, which is sad,� he said.
Apart from Assam, Bhattacharjee has worked with police departments in Mumbai and Jammu and Kashmir.
