West Bengal Police on Thursday, 13 August arrested Nirmal Ghosh, former Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislator and the party's erstwhile Chief Whip in the state Assembly, in connection with the 2024 rape and murder of a female junior doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Ghosh was tracked down to a hotel near Puri, Odisha, after going absconding following the registration of a fresh FIR against him.

The Fresh FIR and What It Alleges

The arrest stems from a fresh complaint filed by the victim's father at Khardah police station earlier this week, under the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate in North 24 Parganas district. The FIR names three individuals: Nirmal Ghosh, former MLA from the Panihati Assembly constituency; Somnath Dey, a local TMC councillor from Panihati Municipality; and Sanjeev Mukherjee, a neighbour of the victim's family.

The complaint alleges that on the night of 9 August 2024, the victim's body was cremated at a crematorium in Panihati in violation of established protocols — allegedly under the supervision of these three individuals. Critically, the cremation was reportedly carried out without the signature of any family member and with cremation charges waived, raising suspicion that the haste was designed to foreclose the possibility of a second post-mortem.

How Ghosh Was Caught

After the fresh FIR was registered, Ghosh reportedly went into hiding and switched to a new mobile SIM card to evade police surveillance, according to an insider at the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate. On Wednesday evening, investigators received a tip-off that Ghosh was sheltering at a hotel near Puri. A team from the Commissionerate travelled to Odisha and arrested him on Thursday afternoon.

Ghosh is to be produced before a court in Odisha before being brought back to Kolkata on transit remand. He is expected to appear at a district court in Barrackpore on Friday, where the public prosecutor is set to seek police custody for further interrogation.

Allegations of a Compromised Investigation

Investigators and the victim's family have alleged that the original post-mortem and inquest were conducted in a 'lackadaisical manner' and completed within a suspiciously short period. The hurried cremation on the night of 9 August 2024 — reportedly carried out under the directions of the three accused — is alleged to have been a deliberate attempt to destroy forensic evidence and prevent a second autopsy.

This comes amid broader scrutiny of how the initial investigation into the R.G. Kar case was handled, with questions raised at multiple levels about procedural lapses in the hours immediately following the discovery of the victim's body.

Government Response

State Health Minister Dr Sharadwat Mukherjee confirmed the arrest, stating that it 'should have been made much earlier.' The investigation was initiated following instructions from Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who directed the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate — the jurisdictional authority over Panihati — to probe the circumstances of the cremation.

What Happens Next

With Ghosh now in custody, investigators are expected to question him about the chain of decisions that led to the 9 August 2024 cremation and whether it was coordinated with others. The cases against co-accused Somnath Dey and Sanjeev Mukherjee are likely to advance in parallel. The R.G. Kar case, which triggered mass protests across West Bengal in 2024, remains one of the most politically charged criminal proceedings in the state.