RG Kar sexual assault case: Ex-TMC MLA Nirmal Ghosh arrested for ‘hastily cremating’ rape-murder victim
Ghosh has been charged with destruction of evidence, criminal conspiracy and forcing someone to act against their will.
PTC News Desk: Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislator Nirmal Ghosh was arrested on Thursday in connection with the alleged hurried cremation of the junior doctor who was raped and murdered at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in 2024.
Ghosh has been charged with destruction of evidence, criminal conspiracy and forcing someone to act against their will. His arrest came four days after West Bengal Chief Minister ordered a fresh inquiry into the cremation. Three TMC leaders, including Ghosh, were named in the case.
According to police, Ghosh had been absconding since July 11. He was reportedly arrested in Odisha and is being brought to Kolkata by road. He is expected to be produced before a court on Friday.
Bengal Chief Minister Suvendhu Adhikari directed the Barrackpore police commissioner to register a new case and take appropriate action. “In the cremation schedule, it was the third body on the list that day, but the number was changed from three to one. According to rules, relatives of a deceased person have to pay a cremation fee and sign documents, but the victim’s family did neither,” Adhikari said on August 10.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said that Nirmal Ghosh should be punished if found guilty but added that political leaders often help people during difficult situations.
The fresh investigation focuses on the circumstances surrounding the doctor's cremation. The doctor's body was found on August 9, 2024. Her post-mortem examination was completed within a few hours, and her body was cremated later that evening.
The new case was registered following a complaint by the doctor's father. He alleged that the body was taken from Kolkata to Panihati through a green corridor after the post-mortem instead of being handed over directly to the family.
The father also accused Nirmal Ghosh, other leaders and TMC workers of entering their home, threatening the family and forcing them to conduct the cremation quickly without allowing them to follow proper social customs and rituals.