Kolkata: Three police personnel were injured on Friday while protecting former Panihati municipality chairman Somnath Dey from a barrage of eggs and bricks thrown by protesters while he was being escorted to a Barrackpore court from Khardah police station. Dey, made to wear a helmet, escaped unhurt. Dey was arrested in Bengaluru in the hurried cremation case connected with the RG Kar rape and murder.Dey was brought to Bengal on a transit remand early on Friday, and taken to Khardah PS.While cops were trying to move Dey into a vehicle for his court production, a crowd gathered outside the station and began throwing eggs, stones, and bricks while shouting ‘thief’ slogans. Dey was eventually taken to court under heavy cop escort. He was remanded in police custody for three days.Dey’s lawyer Arka Chowdhury said, “This is political gimmick. The matter has already gone before the division bench of the high court… This matter will be heard analogously to the main RG Kar case. It is being investigated by CBI… I don’t know under which jurisdiction and capacity this second complaint can be initiated. They asked for 10 days of police custody. The court allowed a three-day PC.”Following the recovery of the RG Kar victim’s body on Aug 9, 2024, a fresh case was registered at Khardah PS the next day by the victim’s father, alleging that his daughter was cremated hastily to destroy evidence. The FIR was lodged after CM Suvendu Adhikari demanded a fresh probe into the alleged irregularities surrounding the cremation.The victim’s father said, “These people didn’t give an opportunity for a second postmortem. They did all this to protect the criminal. It feels like there is someone above them on whose instructions they did this… the police will uncover that. CBI is working on it, and Bengal govt is supporting us. We will get justice.”
