Former TMC MLA Nirmal Ghosh was arrested on Thursday by the police in connection with a fresh investigation into the allegedly hurried cremation of the doctor who was raped and murdered in Kolkata by a gang in August 2024 at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The arrest is the latest step in the long-standing case and comes as the circumstances around the disposal of the body after her death are once again being investigated.
Ghosh, who was a former Panihati MLA, had come under scrutiny for being present at the cremation of the victim. Evidence was sought on the circumstances in which the body was taken to the crematorium and cremated soon after the post-mortem.
The decision follows a fresh investigation of allegations that cremation was rushed and procedures to dispose of the victim’s body were not followed properly. The victim’s parents had asked people to explain in a series of letters what was wrong with the cremation and sought action against people who were involved in what they thought was a bad job with their daughter’s body.
In May 2026, the victim’s parents went to Sealdah court to seek the arrest and custodial interrogation of Ghosh and Somnath Das and local TMC functionary Sanjib Mukhopadhyay. The family said they had been trying to prevent a second post-mortem examination and that the body was cremated without the necessary documents being handed over to them.
The Central Bureau of Investigation subsequently submitted a sealed status report to the Sealdah court regarding the investigation. Investigators were also looking into phone records between hospital staff and police officials after the crime was reported.
Ghosh had earlier been questioned by the CBI in September 2024. He was questioned for several hours about the crematorium and the circumstances of cremation. There were reports that the victim's body was cremated ahead of the other bodies waiting at the crematorium.
The allegations of cremation became a central part of the RG Kar case. The 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor was found dead inside the hospital on August 9, 2024. Doctors protested on the ground, and public outrage erupted over women’s safety and the handling of the investigation.
The latest arrest, however, is about the alleged handling and hurried cremation of the victim’s body and should not be interpreted as confirming Ghosh’s guilt. The allegations will be tested in the investigation and subsequent legal process.
In West Bengal, the matter has been very politically charged since the crime and the conduct of officials and political leaders in the immediate aftermath. The victim’s family has demanded a thorough probe of what actually happened between the discovery of the body and the cremation.
So the arrest of Nirmal Ghosh is likely to put more focus on that crucial period. Investigators will now have to determine who authorised the cremation, why it was allegedly expedited, whether the required procedures were followed and whether any attempt was made to obstruct further examination of the body.
The development could also have wider political implications for the TMC, given Ghosh’s previous position as an elected legislator and his reported presence during the cremation.
As the new investigation proceeds, we will be trying to establish the sequence of events around the victim’s body and whether there were any violations of laws or procedures.
