Kolkata, August 13, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former Trinamool Congress MLA and ex-Chief Whip Nirmal Ghosh was arrested on Thursday in connection with the 2024 rape and murder of a junior doctor at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, with investigators probing allegations surrounding the hurried cremation of the victim’s body.
Ghosh, a former MLA from Panihati in North 24 Parganas, was arrested by the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate from a hotel near Puri in Odisha, where he had allegedly been hiding after a fresh FIR was registered against him.
The fresh case followed a complaint lodged by the victim’s father at Khardah police station earlier this week. The FIR also names Somanth Dey, a Trinamool Congress councillor of Panihati Municipality, and Sanjeev Mukherjee, a neighbour of the victim’s family.
The complaint alleges that the victim’s body was cremated at a Panihati crematorium on the night of August 9, 2024, in violation of prescribed procedures and under the supervision of the three accused. Investigators are examining whether the manner and timing of the cremation were intended to prevent a second post-mortem.
According to police sources, Ghosh went underground after the FIR was registered and allegedly changed his mobile SIM card to avoid surveillance. Acting on information received on Wednesday evening, a police team travelled to Odisha and arrested him on Thursday afternoon.
Ghosh is expected to be produced before a court in Odisha before being brought back to Kolkata on transit remand. He is likely to be produced before a court in Barrackpore on Friday, where the prosecution is expected to seek his police custody for questioning.
The investigation is also examining allegations that cremation charges were waived and that the body was cremated without the signature of any family member. The complaint further raises questions over the manner in which the inquest and post-mortem were conducted, alleging that the procedures were completed unusually quickly.
West Bengal Health Minister Dr Sharadwat Mukherjee, while confirming the arrest, said the action should have been taken much earlier.
Note: The source copy states that the investigation was initiated on the instructions of “Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari”. This appears factually inconsistent, so I have not reproduced that claim as fact without verification.
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