On one side, Dhanonjoy's death sentence was a big setback for his poor family and on the other hand it gave a sigh of relief to everyone who knew Hetal.
It was a day of celebration for Hetal's schoolmates and teachers for whom Hetal was an irreplaceable child. She was one of the brightest children in the school, said her school principal.
The denizens of Kolkata were divided over Dhananjoy's death sentence. Some saw justice for Hetal in Dhananjoy's death and for some it seemed to be an injustice to his family.
Dhanajoy's wife Poornima even wrote to the President 24 hours before Dhananjoy's hanging, asking for pardon for her husband.
She begged for mercy saying the family was poor and the couple had no children. His family had threatened to immolate themselves if Dhananjoy was hanged. But all this was in vain and the scheduled day for Dhananjoy's hanging was nearing.
Dhananjoy saw his end coming when he was informed about the rejection of his mercy plea by the jail officials. He did not eat that day and wept for a long time gazing at the wall. He was worried about his family. He wrote to his family from jail.