Hangman to come to terms with noose for his kin's death

Kolkata, May 28 (UNI) Nata Mullick had let his noose loose after the August 15, 2004 hanging.

But, on May 26, 2007, with a quirk of fate he was back to his job. The only difference was the change in podium. His daughter-in-law, Uma Mullick, whom he himself brought up as his child had hanged herself.

Mr Mullick, who had hanged 25 people in his life, never felt so alone in life. ''Throughout my life I have hanged only the worst of criminals. This death has ripped my heart apart,'' the bereaved hangman said as he clinched his two grandsons with his hands.

After his daughter-in-laws' death, he broke down inconsolably.

''I will pull the lever but this is the last time I will do it,'' he had said before hanging Dhananjoy. And now after two years he was again so close to the actual act.

Uma was married to Millick's son, Mahadev, in 1984. Though police is not certain of the cause for the death, Mullick claimed that Uma had been suffering from psychiatric disorder and had earlier expressed her desire to die.

Incidentally, police had termed it a case of ''partial hanging''.

Mullick still could not get over the trauma that Uma had hanged herself, sitting, at a height of three feet from ground.

South 24-Parganas Superintendent of police S N Gupta confirmed that preliminary investigations suggested that the case was of suicide and that the victim was suffering from psychiatric disorder.

UNI