Nirmal Ghosh Arrest
Former Trinamool Congress MLA Nirmal Ghosh has been arrested in connection with a fresh case linked to the alleged hurried cremation of the RG Kar rape-murder victim’s body in August 2024.
Ghosh was arrested in Odisha on Thursday after investigators traced him to a hotel near Puri, according to police sources and reports.
The fresh case was registered after the victim’s father filed a complaint at Khardah police station. Ghosh, along with TMC leader Somnath Dey and Sanjib Mukhopadhyay, has been named in the FIR.
The new case is separate from the main rape and murder investigation, which was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Sanjay Roy, the convicted accused in the main case, was sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2025.
According to reports, investigators began searching for Ghosh soon after the fresh FIR was registered.
Police sources said he had left West Bengal and travelled to neighbouring Odisha. He allegedly switched phones and SIM cards in an attempt to avoid being traced. Investigators reportedly tracked his movements using mobile tower information.
The police operation eventually led them to a hotel near Puri, where Ghosh was arrested on Thursday morning. He is expected to be produced before a court in Odisha before being brought to West Bengal on transit remand. The arrest marks a major development in the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the cremation of the young doctor’s body.
The victim’s family has repeatedly alleged that the body was cremated in haste and that the family did not receive adequate time to complete the final rites. They have also raised concerns that the manner in which the cremation was conducted may have affected the possibility of a second post-mortem examination.
The family had previously approached a court seeking the arrest and custodial interrogation of Ghosh and two others over their alleged role in the cremation.
The fresh investigation centres on the events of August 9, 2024, when the body of the RG Kar victim was cremated after the post-mortem examination.
The family has alleged that political influence was used to facilitate the cremation and that several people connected to local politics became actively involved in taking the body to the crematorium.
The FIR reportedly includes allegations related to illegally holding the body, destruction or concealment of evidence, providing false information and unauthorised entry into the crematorium. Investigators are now expected to examine the sequence of events at the crematorium, the relevant documents and records, and communications between the people involved.
A key question is whether the cremation was carried out in accordance with the required procedures and whether the victim’s family gave the necessary consent.
The issue has been disputed.
A CBI official had previously said that crematorium authorities maintained that the victim’s body was cremated with the consent of her parents. This makes documentary evidence and witness statements particularly important in the fresh investigation.
The investigation will also look into who was present at the crematorium, who arranged the cremation and whether anyone exerted pressure on the family or officials.
The fresh case gained renewed political attention after Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari publicly raised allegations of irregularities surrounding the cremation.
The arrest of Nirmal Ghosh comes less than a month after his son, Tirthankar Ghosh, was arrested by police.
Tirthankar was arrested from the Dakshineswar area in July in connection with multiple criminal cases. The allegations against him include extortion, assault, criminal intimidation and the alleged snatching of a lottery ticket worth Rs 1 crore.
Tirthankar had contested the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election as the Trinamool Congress candidate from Panihati. He lost the election to BJP candidate Ratna Debnath, the mother of the RG Kar victim.
Nirmal Ghosh had also approached the Calcutta High Court in July seeking protection from arrest after his son was detained. The former MLA was a prominent political figure in Panihati and represented the constituency for three consecutive terms in 2011, 2016 and 2021.
He did not contest the 2026 Assembly election, with the TMC fielding his son instead. The latest arrest is therefore significant both legally and politically.
Investigators will now question Ghosh about the events surrounding the cremation and his alleged role in the process. However, arrest does not establish guilt. The allegations against Ghosh will have to be tested through the investigation and judicial proceedings.
The fresh FIR and arrest have nevertheless reopened an important aspect of the RG Kar case: what happened to the victim’s body after the post-mortem and whether any rules or procedures were violated before the cremation.
The investigation is expected to determine whether there was any deliberate attempt to interfere with the handling of the body or prevent further forensic examination.
For the victim’s family, the latest development represents a significant step in their long-standing demand for greater scrutiny of the events surrounding the cremation.
The police investigation will now determine whether the allegations against Ghosh and the other accused can be substantiated with documentary, forensic and witness evidence.
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