The mother of the 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College, now serving as the MLA from Panihati, approached the Sealdah court on Wednesday along with her husband. They demanded the arrest of former Panihati MLA Nirmal Ghosh, Somnath Das, and local Trinamool Congress functionary Sanjib Mukhopadhyay.
The family alleged that these three individuals attempted to destroy evidence related to the rape and murder case. They argued that arresting them is essential to ensure a fair investigation. The victim's mother told the Times of India, "Attempts had been made to prevent a second post-mortem examination of my daughter's body. Her body was cremated hastily without handing over the necessary documents to us. Citing these allegations, we urged the court to direct the arrest and interrogation of those three individuals."
Court Proceedings
During the hearing, the CBI counsel argued that no one could dictate whom the agency should arrest and stated, "We would like to submit a response." In reply, the family's lawyer said, "That means the agency is seeking time. It is good that they are considering the matter. We have sought custodial interrogation of the three persons. Immediately after the incident, these three became active... They hijacked the body."
The counsel for the family also pointed out that the 2024 charge sheet had mentioned a supplementary charge sheet would follow, but nothing has been filed yet. The court has scheduled the next hearing for June 5.
Political Context
In the recent Assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress fielded Nirmal Ghosh's son, Tirthankar Ghosh, from Panihati, while the Bharatiya Janata Party nominated the victim's mother. She emerged victorious, defeating him. Though newly elected MLAs from North 24 Parganas were scheduled to take oath on Wednesday, she chose to attend court instead. "This is my priority. My daughter was my entire world. At least this space in my life will always remain for my daughter," she said outside the court.
