The West Bengal Police on Monday arrested Tirthankar Ghosh, the son of former Trinamool Congress MLA Nirmal Ghosh, from the Dakhineswar area in connection with two criminal cases against him.
Tirthankar, who ran as the Trinamool candidate in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections from Panihati but lost to the BJP candidate, the mother of the RG Kar rape and murder victim, has been charged with assault, extortion, criminal intimidation, attempted murder, and the illegal display of firearms. The police produced him before a court, which granted six days’ custody of the accused.
The first case against him stems from the widespread post-poll violence that erupted across West Bengal following the 2021 Assembly elections. Several complaints were lodged against both Tirthankar and his father, Nirmal Ghosh, for allegedly orchestrating violent assaults on BJP workers.
Joy Saha, a local BJP worker from Panihati who gathered outside the police station to witness the arrest Monday, spoke to the media and said, “After the 2021 Assembly elections, this father-son duo systematically tortured BJP workers in the area. They hurled crude bombs at our homes, physically assaulted us, and drove us completely out of our neighbourhoods. They acted as if Panihati was their personal property.”
The second case involves the alleged violent extortion of a lottery ticket worth Rs 1 crore from a resident. According to the complainant, Partha Sarkar, who worked as a driver for local pub owner Susanta Sarkar, he had purchased a lottery ticket in November 2024 that subsequently won the Rs 1 crore jackpot.
Upon learning of the win, the pub owner allegedly forced Partha to accompany him to Nirmal Ghosh’s residence to hand over the winning ticket to the then-TMC MLA.
When Partha refused to give up the ticket, Tirthankar Ghosh and a group of henchmen allegedly assaulted him. The complaint further alleged that Tirthankar forcefully snatched the lottery ticket and threatened to kill Partha and discard his body on the railway tracks if he spoke out.
Following the recent change of government in West Bengal, Partha approached the Khardah police. The investigation has already led to the arrests of pub owner Susanta Sarkar and local councillor Jayanta Das. Police sources said investigators are now searching for former MLA Nirmal Ghosh, who is also allegedly involved in the extortion conspiracy.
Following the arrest, Partha Sarkar said, “I have full faith in the state administration. Action has finally been taken against Tirthankar Ghosh for what he did to me.”
The arrest led to massive celebrations outside the Khardah police station, where a large crowd of residents and BJP workers gathered, beating drums and chanting slogans. Tensions flared briefly when the police escorted Tirthankar out of the station to be produced in court, as people hurled eggs at him.
The incumbent Panihati BJP MLA told the media, “The son is a criminal, but the father is an even bigger criminal. The father was directly responsible for rushing the cremation of my daughter’s body (referring to the RG Kar victim). Together, they have illegally filled up the protected wetlands in Panihati to sell them off, operated a massive local extortion racket, and completely ruined this constituency.”
On Saturday, Nirmal Ghosh, who remains with the Mamata Banerjee faction, made a sudden appearance at a meeting venue for rebel Trinamool MLAs and leaders, sparking intense speculation about a potential defection.
While Nirmal Ghosh claimed he had been invited to the meeting, the Leader of Opposition, Ritabrata Banerjee, denied the claim on Sunday, challenging the former MLA to produce the text message or phone number from which any such invitation was sent.
On the day of his son’s arrest on Monday, Nirmal Ghosh moved the Calcutta High Court seeking legal protection from any coercive action against himself. Ghosh’s counsel appeared before the bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya, which allowed the matter to be filed. The case is likely to come up for hearing later this week.