Former Trinamool Congress MLA Nirmal Ghosh was attacked by public outside Khardah Police Station in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Friday, a day after he was arrested in Odisha over his alleged role in the "hurried cremation" of the RG Kar rape-murder victim.
The attack took place as police personnel were escorting Ghosh towards a prison van to take him to the Barrackpore sub-divisional court. Members of the crowd allegedly kicked and punched him and threw footwear, eggs, new agency PTI reported
Security personnel placed a helmet over Ghosh’s head and formed a cordon around him as they attempted to move him through the crowd.
Ghosh Arrested Over Alleged Hurried Cremation
Ghosh, a former MLA from Panihati, was arrested on Thursday in connection with allegations surrounding the cremation of the 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor who was raped and murdered at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in August 2024.
He has been booked on charges including destruction of evidence, criminal conspiracy and compelling a person to act against their will, PTI reported, citing police.
The case was registered at Khardah Police Station following a fresh complaint by the victim’s father. Ghosh and two others, identified as Dey and Mukherjee, have been named in the FIR for their alleged involvement in the cremation.
Victim’s Father Alleges Evidence Was Being Concealed
The doctor’s father has alleged that his daughter’s body was cremated unusually quickly and without the family’s consent. He has claimed that the three accused supervised the process in an attempt to prevent a second post-mortem examination and conceal potential evidence.
A senior officer of the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate told PTI that the investigation into the cremation was separate from the CBI’s probe into the rape and murder.
“The CBI is probing the rape and murder case at RG Kar hospital, which falls under the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police. The new FIRs lodged at Khardah police station are based on complaints by the family of the deceased that the body was cremated in a hurry without the consent of the family members to hush up evidence,” the officer said.
Investigators are also scrutinising the documents used to record consent for the cremation. Police have alleged that signatures appearing on the papers belonged to neighbours rather than the victim’s parents or other members of her family.
Fresh Probe Ordered Into Cremation
The case was registered after Suvendu Adhikari attended a memorial programme for the doctor in Panihati and directed the Barrackpore Police Commissioner to examine the allegations surrounding the cremation.
Questions have also been raised over the alleged waiver of the cremation fee and the absence of the family’s signatures on relevant documents.
“The role of Ghosh, Dey and Mukherjee in the cremation needs to be investigated. I have ordered the registration of a new case separately, apart from the court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). I have asked the Barrackpore Police Commissioner to take necessary steps in this regard,” Adhikari had said on August 8.
RG Kar Case
The postgraduate trainee doctor was found dead inside a seminar room at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024. Police said she had been raped and murdered the previous night.
Her body was subsequently taken to a crematorium in Panihati, where investigators allege the final rites were carried out unusually quickly, with her body being taken ahead of two others already waiting for cremation.
The victim’s family has repeatedly raised questions about the circumstances in which the cremation took place.
The CBI continues to handle the rape and murder investigation, while the fresh case registered by local police is focused specifically on allegations surrounding the cremation and possible destruction of evidence.
One person has been convicted in the rape-murder case, while proceedings remain pending before the Calcutta High Court.
