J Dey murder: They should all be hanged, says sister of slain mid-day journo

Photos of J Dey and his late mother at the home of Leena Dey on the eve of judgment in his murder case. Pic/Suresh Karkera

Not a single accused should go free. They should all be hanged," says an emotional Leena Dey, sister of murdered journalist J Dey, a day before the special CBI court is set to announce the verdict in the case in which 11 accused are on trial for his death. "Why is it that we are suffering and they [the accused] are roaming free?" Leena demands to know.

The frail woman in her 50s responds to mid-day's questions in her modest 1BHK flat at Ghatkopar, framed photos of her late mother and Dey on the divan she is sitting on. It seems like time has stood still at Dey's Amrutnagar residence, reflected on the wall clock that has stopped at 10.45. Leena stares at it, meekly informing us that the batteries need to be replaced. Piles of unread newspapers lie on stools nearby.

J Dey

When mid-day visited her, she insisted on preparing coffee, but did not drink any of it herself. She placed two cups and some biscuits before the pictures of her mother and brother. She is still mourning the deaths of Dey and her late mother, who passed away last year. Leena blames herself for her mother's death saying she could not do more for her. "Now, most of my time is spent standing by the window," she says. Leena rarely ventures out and eats just one meal a day. She says sometimes a boy in the building helps with groceries, but she could not be bothered to cook on most days.

Friends say that Leena has cut herself off from the rest of the world. But, she still has to call people for help with every little thing. Small tasks such as getting a gas cylinder replaced have become Herculean for her. Leena says her late brother's friends sometimes visit and help her out.

She reminisces wistfully about the 'old days' and wishes her brother was around to take care of her. For Leena and her late mother, Dey was their world.

Fears case verdict
Leena says she fears all the accused will go free. "I want them to be punished but they are all powerful people with contacts. Forget hanging or life imprisonment, I am worried that they may go free," she says.

Dey's last visit
Leena still remembers the last day her brother had come home to show her mother and herself the new loose raincoat he had bought in which he said he could buy groceries for the family and not worry about them getting wet in the rain. But, he never returned as he was shot dead on the same rainy day of June 11, 2011 in Powai. Leena recalls an article that Dey had written against Rajan which their mother did not approve of and had asked Dey not to write against such people. Within days, Leena says, her brother had been shot dead.

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