Trinamool Leader Nirmal Ghosh Arrested in RG Kar Rape-Murder Case

August 13, 2026

Kolkata: Former Trinamool Congress legislator and ex-Chief Whip Nirmal Ghosh has been arrested in connection with the 2024 rape and murder of a junior doctor at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, police said on Thursday.

Ghosh, a former MLA from the Panihati Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas district, was arrested from a hotel near Puri in Odisha after police traced his location.

The arrest follows a fresh FIR registered after the victim’s father filed a complaint alleging irregularities in the cremation of his daughter’s body shortly after the incident.

Fresh FIR Over Victim’s Cremation

The Barrackpore Police Commissionerate launched an investigation into allegations surrounding the cremation of the victim at a crematorium in Panihati on the night of August 9, 2024.

The fresh FIR names Ghosh, Panihati Municipality Trinamool Congress councillor Somanth Dey and Sanjeev Mukherjee, a neighbour of the victim’s family.

The complaint alleges that the victim’s body was cremated under the supervision of the three accused while allegedly violating prescribed procedures. It has also been alleged that the cremation was carried out without the signature of any member of the victim’s family.

Investigators are examining whether the circumstances surrounding the cremation were intended to prevent a second post-mortem examination.

Ghosh Traced to Odisha

According to police, Ghosh went into hiding after the fresh FIR was registered and allegedly changed his mobile SIM card to avoid surveillance.

Investigators later received information that he was staying in Puri. A team from the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate travelled to Odisha and arrested him from a hotel near Puri on Thursday afternoon.

Ghosh is expected to be produced before a court in Odisha before being brought back to West Bengal on transit remand. Police are likely to produce him before a district court in Barrackpore on Friday and seek custody for further questioning.

Probe Into Alleged Irregularities

The investigation is also examining allegations that the victim’s post-mortem and inquest were conducted in an allegedly improper manner and completed in a short period.

There are also allegations that the cremation charges were waived and that established procedures were not followed during the cremation.

The police investigation is continuing, and the allegations against the accused will be subject to judicial scrutiny.