Kolkata: Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Nirmal Ghosh and co-accused Sanjib Mukherjee were assaulted by an angry mob on Friday outside the Khardah police station in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district. The incident occurred while security personnel were escorting the duo to a prison van to produce them before the Barrackpore sub-divisional court in connection with the alleged rushed cremation of the RG Kar Medical College doctor who was raped and murdered in August 2024.
Despite a heavy security cordon formed by state police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel—who placed a helmet on Ghosh’s head to shield him—the crowd broke through, subjecting the former Panihati MLA to physical blows, kicks, and pelting him with footwear, eggs, and muck. Mukherjee, a former TMC councillor and neighbour of the victim’s family, faced similar hostility as officers guided him toward the transport vehicle. Upon their arrival at the Barrackpore court, another gathering greeted them with chants of “chor, chor” before police swiftly moved both stained and visibly shaken accused into the court lock-up.
The arrests follow a fresh First Information Report registered on Monday based on a complaint filed by the victim’s father, who alleged that Ghosh, Mukherjee, and former Panihati municipality chairman Somnath Dey used political influence to force a hasty cremation against the family’s wishes to prevent a second post-mortem examination. While Dey remains absconding, investigators are expected to seek a 14-day police remand for Ghosh and Mukherjee to probe the circumstances surrounding the cremation, which had remained outside the scope of the primary CBI investigation into the crime.
