Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji’s heart bypass surgery was done on Wednesday. The Tamil Nadu human rights commission has issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to submit a report on his arrest in the alleged cash-for-jobs scam, within six weeks.
“There is a possibility that his surgery will be done tomorrow morning,” said health minister M Subramanian. “It will be an open heart surgery.”
After the ED got 8-day custody of the minister, starting June 16 allowing it to interrogate only within hospital premises, the federal agency had on Monday moved the Supreme Court stating that Balaji is feigning illness immediately after his arrest.
After 18 hours of questioning, the ED arrested Balaji under the prevention of money laundering act (PMLA) on June 14 at 1:39 am. Complaining of chest pain, Balaji was admitted to the Omandurar government hospital after 2.30 am where doctors recommended a by-pass surgery at the “earliest” after diagnosing three blocks in his heart. The same day, Balaji was remanded under judicial custody but was allowed to continue with his medical treatment at the hospital. On June 15 night, Balaji was moved to the Kauvery hospital after getting the permission from the Madras high court.
Explaining the delay in the surgery, Subramanian said that in Omandurar, doctors had given Balaji blood thinners (heparin and aspirin, his lawyers had said earlier) because his three blocks were “critical.” The surgery can be done only after the medicines are stopped for five days to “prevent bleeding complications”, said the health minister.
{{/usCountry}}Explaining the delay in the surgery, Subramanian said that in Omandurar, doctors had given Balaji blood thinners (heparin and aspirin, his lawyers had said earlier) because his three blocks were “critical.” The surgery can be done only after the medicines are stopped for five days to “prevent bleeding complications”, said the health minister.
{{/usCountry}}Before Balaji was shifted to the private hospital, (on June 15) the human rights commission member, V Kannadasan, met Balaji in Omandurar and took note of his complaints alleging that ED officials had assaulted him. The central agency denied the allegations and further alleged that the minister didn’t cooperate with the probe.
Meanwhile, the commission on Tuesday called for a report from the federal agency in Chennai based on the complaint of the minister’s wife S Megala (what did the wife complained about?-please explain). “Call for a report from Joint Director, Directorate of Enforcement, Chennai within six weeks,” the commission said, adding that if the ED fails to submit the report, the commission will take an action, as it deems fit.