RG Kar case: Panihati municipality chairman arrested in Bengaluru for ‘evidence tampering’, taken to Khardah police station

NORTH 24 PARAGANAS (West Bengal): In a major development surrounding the ongoing investigation into the rape and murder of a female doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Panihati municipality chairman and Trinamool Congress leader Somnath Dey was arrested from Bengaluru and brought to West Bengal in the early hours of Thursday.

Dey was apprehended by officers from Khardah police station during a raid in Bengaluru early Wednesday morning. Following his transit to Bengal, the municipal chairman was brought to Khardah police station around 2.20 am on Thursday for questioning and further legal proceedings.

#WATCH | North 24 Parganas, West Bengal: Panihati Municipality Chairman Somnath Dey was brought to Khardah Police Station after being arrested in Bengaluru for allegedly attempting to destroy evidence by hastily cremating the victim’s body in connection with the RG Kar Medical… pic.twitter.com/i8y64W807h

— ANI (@ANI) September 4, 2026

Investigators alleged that Dey actively attempted to destroy crucial physical evidence following the crime by facilitating the hasty cremation of the victim’s body. The case pertains to the horrific sexual assault and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor while on duty inside RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, an incident that triggered nationwide protests demanding justice and institutional accountability.

Following the victim’s death, civil society members, the victim’s family, and investigative authorities raised severe concerns over procedural lapses, procedural delays, and the unusually rapid cremation of the victim’s body at the Panihati crematorium.

Dey’s arrest in Bengaluru underscores an expanding dragnet by law enforcement to hold key officials accountable for alleged cover-up attempts, destruction of evidence, and interference in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. (ANI)