The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has questioned Trinamool Congress MLA Nirmal Ghosh in connection with the R.G. Kar rape and murder of the female doctor. Mr. Ghosh is accused of pressurising the family for speedy cremation of the 31-year-old victim.
Mr. Ghosh an MLA from Panihati was questioned by CBI sleuths at the CGO complex in Salt Lake, near Kolkata on Monday. When asked why he was at the CBI office, Mr. Ghosh said, “I have come here for a few submissions.“
Also read:How Kolkata grew its spine over R.G. Kar rape and murder protests
He was questioned for over seven hours. After coming out of the CBI office, he said, “On August 9 evening, as the local councillor from the area where ‘Abhaya’ belongs, she is a daughter and doctor from my area. I went as a social responsibility. Today I came to the CBI office after booking an appointment with them. I had a lot of conversations with the CBI officials. I don’t want to mention that here.”
CBI officials have reportedly said that Mr. Ghosh played a role in the “speedy cremation and last rituals of the R.G. Kar rape and murder victim”. He was allegedly seen around the R.G. Kar campus after the body of the victim was discovered on August 9. He is said to have allegedly held a meeting with former R.G. Kar principal Sandip Ghosh during the course of the day on August 9. The Trinamool MLA was also reportedly seen around the cremation ground when the deceased’s last rights were being performed.
The victim’s parents had previously said that they were pressurised into cremating the body of their daughter even when they wanted a second post-mortem.
On Sunday, a doctor named Apurba Biswas was also summoned by the CBI officials in relation to the R.G. Kar case. He was one of the members of the forensic team who performed the initial post-mortem of the victim.
Dr. Apurba Biswas made explosive claims after he came out of the CBI questioning and said, “There was a man there who identified himself as the victim’s uncle and he asked us to hurry up the process. He threatened that if the post-mortem is not over within the day he will make ‘river of blood flow’. This man also pressurised the family members of the victim.”
Dr. Biswas went on to say that he suspected that this man was an outsider, an ex-councillor who he did not wish to name.
In relation to these allegations, West Bengal Assembly Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA, Suvendu Adhikari claimed that the ex-councillor in question was “Sanjib Mukherjee. He is the former CPI(M) Councillor of Panihati Municipality, who joined Trinamool later on and became a close associate of Panihati Trinamool MLA Nirmal Ghosh. Everyone knows that the victim was cremated in haste. The police were monitoring the operations at the crematorium and there was an extraordinary hurry at the crematorium to dispose off the body.”
Mr. Adhikari’s post on social media handle X further stated, “Panihati MLA; 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.”
Along with the post he posted a copy of an official document, which he claimed were from the cremation ground where the document had been signed by the said Sanjib Mukherjee.
BJP leader, and Lok Sabha MLA, Sukanta Majumdar commented on the issue and said, “They have destroyed most evidence. We want everyone to be arrested, but what will the CBI do if all the evidence has been tampered?”
Trinamool vs Trinamool
As multiple Trinamool leaders are getting under the CBI scanner in relation to the R.G. Kar rape and murder case, Trinamool leader Udayan Guha has hit back at his own party workers and thrown a volley of allegations on them.
He said at a public meeting in Dinhata, Cooch Behar, on Sunday, “Mamata Banerjee is doing work for the people, for the betterment and development of the people. A lot of people are forgetting her got work and voting for the lotus [referring to the BJP’s party symbol]. But a lot of our own party leaders are spoiling Mamata’s good work. People who are spoiling our own votes, we don’t need them.“
Opposition hits back
On Monday, BJP leaders also organised a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), Kolkata office demanding justice for the R.G. Kar case. The BJP leaders accused that the Mamata Banerjee government was not allowing the BJP to hold peaceful protests.
The protest rally and sit-in demonstration were conducted under the leadership of Trinamool MLA and actor Locket Chatterjee where they walked with brooms and ganga water in their hands.
The BJP workers broke two guard rails and reached the DC North office. They landed in multiple scuffles with the local police.
Locket Chatterjee said, “We are with the victim and the protestors as an artist. We want justice.”
Published - September 23, 2024 12:58 pm IST
