Kolkata, August 13: The West Bengal Police arrested Nirmal Ghosh, a former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA and former chief whip in the assembly, on Thursday. This arrest is linked to the rape and murder of a female junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in 2024. Ghosh previously represented the Panihati assembly seat in North 24 Parganas district.
The arrest is connected to the hasty cremation of the victim’s body. Allegations suggest that on the night of August 9, 2024, the victim was cremated at a Panihati crematorium without following proper procedures, likely to eliminate the possibility of a second post-mortem.
Following directives from the Chief Minister, the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate initiated an investigation into the rushed cremation. A new FIR was filed this week based on a complaint from the victim’s father at the Khardah police station. In addition to Ghosh, local TMC councilor Somnath Dey and a neighbor of the victim, Sanjeev Mukherjee, were also named in the complaint.
The complaint alleges that the cremation was conducted under the supervision of these three individuals, bypassing established protocols.
After the new FIR was registered, Ghosh reportedly went into hiding. To evade police, he began using a new mobile SIM card. According to an officer from the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate, investigators received a tip-off on Wednesday evening that Ghosh was hiding in Puri, Odisha.
A team from the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate traveled to Puri and arrested Ghosh from a hotel on Thursday afternoon.
Reports indicate that Ghosh will first be presented in an Odisha court. He is expected to be brought to Kolkata on transit remand overnight. On Friday, he will be presented in the Barrackpore District Court, where the prosecution will seek his police custody for further questioning.
State Health Minister Dr. Sharadwat Mukherjee confirmed Ghosh’s arrest, stating that it should have occurred much earlier.
During the investigation, it was revealed that the cremation fees were allegedly waived on the night of August 9, 2024. Furthermore, the cremation was reportedly conducted without any family member’s signature.
These actions are alleged to have been taken to eliminate the possibility of a second post-mortem. Additionally, it has been claimed that the post-mortem and documentation processes were conducted carelessly and completed suspiciously quickly.
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