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Arrested Bengal minister shifted to hospital after complaining of illness
West Bengal minister Jyoti Priya Mallick was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate for his alleged involvement in the multi-crore ration distribution scam
West Bengal minister Jyoti Priya Mallick, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for his alleged involvement in the multi-crore ration distribution scam and was lodged in a correctional home in Kolkata, was shifted to a state-run hospital after he complained of illness on Tuesday.
According to an official of the Presidency Correctional Home, the minister complained of illness and taken to the jail hospital in the afternoon. Doctors at the jail hospital checked him and later referred him to the SSKM hospital. He was rushed to the SSKM hospital where he was admitted after a few tests.
In August 2022, the Calcutta high court had raised questions against the SSKM hospital saying that in the recent past many high-profile political leaders of the ruling party avoided interrogation by investigating agencies taking shelter in the hospital.
“Our experience as a common man with regard to the role of the doctors attached to SSKM super-specialty hospital is not happy. In recent past, more than one high ranking political leaders belonging to the ruling political party were arrested or directed to appear before the investigating authority for interrogation and they successfully avoided interrogation by the investigating agency taking shelter in the said hospital. When they found that there was no possibility for the investigating agency to interrogate the suspects having strong political background under the umbrella of ruling political party, they were discharged from SSKM hospital. They avoided even production before the court on the strength of medical report issued by the said hospital authority,” a bench of the Calcutta high court had said.
Mallick, who now holds the portfolios of public enterprises and industrial reconstruction and forest in the chief minister Mamata Banerjee-led cabinet, was earlier the state’s food minister.
The ED arrested Mallick on October 27 after almost 20 hours of questioning and searching his premises in connection with the alleged scam.
The same day, while being produced in the court he fell ill in the court room and had to be shifted to a private hospital. The ED took him into custody on October 30 after he was released from the hospital.
While in ED custody and in jail custody the minister had complained of illness multiple times. He was even taken to the Command Hospital for check-up. The ED produced the hospital’s certificate in the court which suggested that there was no need for Mallick to get hospitalised.
