CBI questions TMC legislator Nirmal Ghosh, RG Kar doctor in rape and murder case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing into the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata last month, questioned Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislator Nirmal Ghosh for more than seven hours on Monday.

The victim’s parents had earlier alleged that the state administration, including the police, had hurriedly sent the victim’s body for cremation on the night of August 9. Ghosh was seen at the crematorium and had also reportedly met Sandip Ghosh, former principal of the medical college during the day.

The TMC leader from Panihati in North 24 Parganas, however, told reporters that he had come to the federal agency’s office for submission in the case.

“I have come for submission. It (cremation) took place in my area,” he told reporters before entering the CBI office on Monday morning.

Meanwhile, the CBI also questioned Apurba Biswas, a member of the team which conducted the autopsy. Ghosh earlier told media persons that he had received calls from a person who identified himself as the victim’s uncle and was pressuring him for conducting the autopsy.

“A person, who identified himself as the victim’s uncle, had said over phone that if the autopsy wasn’t conducted the same day, there would be a bloodbath. He was a former councillor,” Biswas, a professor of forensic medicine at RG Kar Hospital, told media persons on Sunday.

Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the Opposition in the state legislative assembly, posted on X that the “person” was Sanjib Mukherjee, a former CPI(M) councillor who joined the TMC in 2018.

“That person was an Ex-Councillor. The person is Sanjib Mukherjee. He is the former CPIM Councillor of Panihati Municipality, who joined TMC later on and became a close associate of Panihati TMC MLA Nirmal Ghosh. Nirmal Ghosh was himself present as per the instructions of Mamata Banerjee. Strangely, this Sanjib Mukherjee is the signatory on the Cremation Certificate, without being a kin of the victim,” Adhikari wrote on X on Monday.

Allegations surfaced that the post mortem was conducted in the evening a special permission was given by the police citing “some urgent matter.”

“I want to tell the investigating agency how wild allegations are being floated against me. Who am I to mount pressure? I was with the parents? Am I so powerful that I would get all the permissions by 6 pm to conduct the autopsy? I am being made a soft target,” Mukherjee told the media.

The victim’s parents had alleged that the police and hospital authorities were keen on hurriedly sending the victim’s body for cremation.

“We had insisted on a secind post mortem. But there was huge pressure on us. At least 300-400 policeman had gathered at our house even before we could reach home from the hospital. Local politicians had gathered too. The cremation was made free,” the victim’s father had told the press.