The Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched the residence and nursing home of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Sudipto Roy at Sinthi in Kolkata for nearly 20 hours till the wee hours of Wednesday, in connection with allegations of financial irregularities and corruption at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH).
At the end of the raid, the officials were seen leaving the premises with multiple boxes, reportedly containing documents that might prove relevant to the case. The ED also searched a property belonging to Mr. Roy at Hooghly on Tuesday.
Earlier, Dr. Roy was questioned by the CBI for about two hours at his Sinthi residence on September 12, in connection with the rape and murder of a doctor at RGKMCH on August 9 as well as the financial irregularities case.
A doctor by profession, Mr. Roy was the chairman of the Rogi Kalyan Samity (patient welfare committee) at RGKMCH. The Sreerampur MLA is also the president of the West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC).
He is also considered close to former RGKMCH principal Sandip Kumar Ghosh. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Dr. Ghosh over allegations of financial irregularities at RGKMCH as well as on charges of tampering with evidence and delay in filing FIR after a doctor was found raped and killed at the seminar room of RGKMCH on August 9.
Earlier, Dr. Roy had told reporters that Dr. Ghosh called him shortly after the woman doctor’s body was recovered RGKMCH seminar hall. “I was shocked,” he said but refuted the allegations of corruption, especially those linked to his multiple properties.
In 2023, a petition was filed with the Calcutta High Court alleging irregularities in the WBMC election. The petitioners challenged the election of office bearers, including the president and vice president, and sought dissolution of the Council.
Although the Court in 2023 had upheld the elections, hundreds of senior doctors from different organisations such as the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Bengal chapter and the Joint Forum of Doctors marched to the State Health Department headquarters a few days ago and demanded fresh elections to the WBMC in the wake of allegations of corruption and ‘threat culture’ in the State healthcare system.
Published - September 18, 2024 08:15 pm IST
