RG Kar Anger Spills Onto the Streets as Mob Targets Nirmal Ghosh on the Way to Court 

The agitation of the people of Kolkata surrounding the RG Kar case spilled onto the streets of North 24 Parganas on Friday as former Trinamool Congress MLA Nirmal Ghosh, arrested over allegations linked to the alleged hurried cremation of the RG Kar rape-murder victim, was attacked by protesters while being escorted by police to court.

Ghosh was being taken from Khardah Police Station to the Barrackpore sub-divisional court when protesters surrounded the police vehicle and raised slogans against him. According to reports, some members of the crowd threw footwear, eggs and muck at the former MLA. Police and Rapid Action Force personnel formed a security cordon around Ghosh and escorted him into the court premises.

Another accused in the case, former Panihati municipality councillor Sanjib Mukherjee, also faced similar protests while being taken to court. Security personnel were deployed around the court premises to prevent the situation from worsening and ensure the safe entry of the accused. 

Ghosh was arrested in Balasore, Odisha on Thursday after an FIR was registered at Khardah Police Station following a complaint by the father of the RG Kar victim. The complaint concerns the state of affairs surrounding the cremation of the victim, who was found dead at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024.

The probe focusses on allegations that the victim’s body was cremated in haste and that procedures surrounding the cremation were not properly followed. Ghosh, Mukherjee and former Panihati municipality chairman Somnath Dey have been named in connection with the allegations. Dey is reported to be absconding.

The allegations against Nirmal Ghosh relate specifically to the mishandling and hurried cremation of the victim’s body and are separate from the investigation into the rape and murder itself. The original RG Kar rape-murder case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has been investigating the circumstances surrounding the doctor’s death.

Questions over the cremation have remained part of the wider case since August 2024. The victim’s parents had earlier approached the court seeking action against those they alleged were involved in the cremation and other irregularities surrounding the handling of their daughter’s body.

The CBI has also examined the cremation-related allegations. In June, a Special Investigation Team constituted by the agency visited the Panihati crematorium, examined records and questioned officials as part of its inquiry.

Ghosh has previously denied wrongdoing in connection with the events surrounding the cremation. The allegations against him and the other accused remain subject to investigation and judicial proceedings and have not been established as fact.

Friday’s confrontation adds another development to a case that has continued to draw strong public and political attention in West Bengal. Nearly two years after the death of the postgraduate trainee doctor, the RG Kar case continues to generate demands for accountability and justice, with the latest proceedings now focusing on the circumstances surrounding the alleged hurried cremation.

The court proceedings will now determine how the allegations against Ghosh and the other accused are examined as the investigation continues.